Mistletoe and Mayhem
by sb4ever
Summary: Sometimes even in the midst of mayhem unexpected things can happen especially during the holiday season.
1. Chapter 1

19

Mistletoe and Mayhem

Rating: K

Disclaimer: the usual. This was begun soon after the end of the series so any resemblance to anyone or thing is purely coincidental.

A/N: It's a Christmas story. Hope you don't mind! Inspired by Clint Black's "Under the Mistletoe". I'm not a country-western fan but this song is just so darn cute!

A/N2: Thanks to Akaalias for betaing this story. Without her help, I don't know if I would have ever finished this story!

Summary: Sometimes even in the midst of mayhem unexpected things can happen especially during the holiday season.

----------

Chapter 1

"Did you hear about JP and Marcy?" Lucy announced to the group as she drank her coffee.

"Don't tell me!" squealed Tara.

Lucy nodded wisely. "Yup. There was a sprig hanging over the doorway in Forensics so when she took a report there…" She looked at Tara meaningfully.

"When did this happen?" the tech specialist asked breathlessly.

"Two days ago."

"And have they?

"Dinner that same night."

"So that makes how many now?" asked D. "Two? Three?"

"Four…if you count Preston and Sheryl," Tara replied.

"Just because he's from DEA doesn't mean it doesn't count," Lucy stated. "The end result is what we're counting."

"And just what _are_ we counting, Miss Dotson?" asked Myles in his most condescending voice as he poured himself a cup.

"The number of romances that have sprung up since a mysterious sprig of mistletoe has appeared," she answered in a don't-you-know-anything tone.

"A kiss under a bit of green foliage does not constitute a romance," he pointed out.

"It does if you go out on a date," said Tara knowingly.

Myles looked at D and Jack questioningly. "Is this true?"

Both men shrugged.

"Far as we know," answered D.

"And how long has this new dating service been going on?"

"Since after the Thanksgiving weekend," Lucy answered promptly.

"A spray of mistletoe has been showing up in different offices since then," Tara supplied.

"And in each office, romance has blossomed and the sprig disappears," Lucy added.

"Only to turn up some place else!" finished Tara triumphantly. She sighed. "Isn't that just the most romantic thing you've ever heard?"

"Are you saying someone is going around putting up this piece of parasitic greenery to encourage the development of interpersonal relationships?" Myles asked in astonishment.

"Gee, Myles," said D sarcastically, "when you say it like that it makes me wonder why anyone would want to kiss anyone under the mistletoe."

Myles smirked unapologetically. "What can I say? I have a way with words." He turned to face the girls. "So, let me get this straight…the Hoover Building has its own personal Dolly Levi in the form of a mistletoe fairy?"

"Mistletoe Fairy," Jack pondered. "I like that. Sounds better than a matchmaker."

"Yes!" said Lucy and Tara simultaneously.

"So who is it?"

Glances went around the group.

"I've checked my sources but no one knows," answered Jack.

"Your sources…." Myles echoed sarcasm dripping from every word, "you _actually_ asked?"

Jack shrugged unrepentantly. It was all in fun.

"Do we know where it goes next?" D asked.

"No one knows since it disappeared from Forensics," Lucy responded solemnly.

"You think it'll appear here?"

"Well…" Lucy and Tara focused on Jack.

"What?" asked Jack.

"The rumor is…." began Tara.

"What?" demanded Myles.

"It has to be the right couple," finished Lucy.

Eyes swiveled to Sue's empty desk and back up to Jack.

"Who knows?"

----------

"You should seriously consider transferring to NVTC," urged Sandy Kitteridge over a cup of coffee. "Interpreters are in high demand. With your experience and talent, you could dictate where you want to work."

"But I _like_ where I am now," Sue replied emphatically. "I like being part of this team. They're more than co-workers…they're like family."

"That's the beauty of this position," argued Sandy. "Our people are on loan to different agencies throughout the United States and in many cases, even abroad. I could just about guarantee that you can stay where you are."

"What's the catch?" asked Sue skeptically.

"What catch?" Sandy repeated innocently.

"There has to be a catch. Your offer is too good to be true and you know what they say, if it's too good to be true, it usually isn't…true, I mean."

"Well, there is one little catch."

"What is it?"

"You have to be willing to travel at a moment's notice when the need arises."

Sue looked at her companion.

"Every accommodation would be made to locate the closest interpreter but sometimes, it's just not possible. That's when you have to travel."

"I don't know, Sandy," Sue responded. "Like I said, I like where I am."

"I'm not asking you to decide this very moment. Just think about it, will you?"

"All right," Sue agreed reluctantly. "I'll think about it but I'm not promising anything."

"That's fine with me," said Sandy pleased she was able to get that much out of her tablemate. She glanced at her watch. "It's been great talking to you but I have another appointment in twenty minutes. I gotta go." She gathered her purse and briefcase. "Think about it."

"I will. Merry Christmas, Sandy."

"Merry Christmas, Sue. Talk to you later." She threaded her way through the half empty coffee shop.

Sue thoughtfully took a sip of her hot chocolate. Maybe if she had transferred to another agency two years ago, Jack would have finally come out and admitted his feelings for her. There had been that one occasion where they'd kissed…_really_ kissed on an undercover assignment. She'd been almost certain he was going to suggest taking the next step in their relationship but he never had. And he wouldn't, she realized. He was looking for something she couldn't offer him—the perfect relationship. So she had moved on.

She was ready for a relationship…a real one where two people cared enough about each other to make that certain commitment to one another….loved each other enough to weather its ups and downs, too. It had been a possibility with David but their timing had been wrong—he was ready and she wasn't so they had parted still friends. The last time they'd talked, he was seeing a landscape architect and very happy.

She sighed. Maybe one day she'd meet that someone special.

Fingers tapped rapidly on her table. She looked up.

"Why the big sigh?"

"Bobby! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Sue.

"Came in for a cup of coffee," he explained. "It's cold out there!" He gestured to the empty seat across from here. "Expecting someone?"

"No," she responded. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Let me put in my order."

Sue's eyes followed her co-worker as he walked over to the counter. She could see the female help brighten and smile that I'm-interested-in-you smile. She couldn't blame the woman. Bobby _was_ good-looking and exuded charm. However, unlike his best friend, he ignored the flirtatious signals of females. That wasn't his style. When Bobby was interested in a woman, he let her know. There was no guessing.

"What brings you here, Miss Thomas?" asked Bobby conversationally as he slid onto the vacant seat.

"I met someone."

"Anyone I know or is it a secret admirer?"

"No secret. It was Sandy Kitteridge."

He frowned. "Sandy Kitteridge. That name sounds familiar."

"She's with the NVTC."

Alarm bells began sounding in his mind.

"That translation agency?" Bobby asked sharply. Was it another job offer?

"Uh-huh." Sue wondered what caused the change in his expression.

"Was it a job offer?" he asked slowly.

"It was." She did not elaborate.

"Are you taking it?"

"Nope."

Bobby hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath until she gave her answer. He reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I'm glad," he smiled in relief. "The team wouldn't be the same without you and Levi."

"You're sweet to say that."

"It's true."

"It's nice to be appreciated," she said returning his warm smile. Bobby was one of the reasons why she'd decided to turn down the New York position and now this one. Her teammates _were_ more than friends…they were family.

"And what brings you here?" she asked making conversation.

"Same reason…well, not really the same," he corrected himself. "There was no job offer. I had a meeting with an informant."

"Anything useful?"

He shrugged. Rumors of something happening around Christmas time had been shared but the information was too vague at the moment to act upon. He would have to do more digging.

"You never know."

----------

The Mistletoe Fairy had visited the Hoover Building once again this time in Personnel. Another budding romance had sprouted and the mysterious sprig of greenery had disappeared. Since that time, there had been no sightings of the elusive mistletoe in over a week. Speculation had run rampant at its non-appearance that perhaps all the potential pairings had been exhausted.

"I know it's silly to feel like this," began Tara, "but I'm feeling a little less in the holiday spirit since the Mistletoe Fairy seems to have finished her matchmaking."

"Her?" questioned D.

"Puh-lease," Lucy said sarcastically, "do you really think a guy wants to be known as the Mistletoe Fairy?"

The men in the office looked at her.

"Point taken."

"Anyway, I totally agree with Tara," said Lucy. "The sparkle of the holidays has been dimmed."

"Read the history of Tiffany's," suggested Myles. "That should put some sparkle back into your life."

Lucy made a face. "Ha-ha."

"You're welcome," he said smugly. "I thought you'd appreciate that."

She rolled her eyes.

"There's a few days before Christmas," D said calmly. "Maybe she's taking a break."

"That's not much time left," said Tara dubiously.

"Sure there is," he assured her, "if it's the right pair."

"Isn't the whole thing about this mistletoe thing is that the couple don't realize they _are_ a couple until that kiss under the mistletoe?" asked Jack.

"Well, yeah," said Tara. "That's the neat part of the whole thing. Somehow, whoever this Mistletoe Fairy is, has the ability to miraculously pair people together."

"It's like she _knows_ who should be together."

"Which is kind of spooky when you think about it," Jack stated.

"Why?"

"That means someone has been watching us pretty closely to know us that well."

"We work for the FBI," said Lucy. "We're trained to be observant."

"That observant?"

"If anyone is interested," began Myles.

"I'm not," broke in Lucy.

He glared at her. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I find it 'spooky' that we're spending so much time discussing the matter to begin with!"

"C'mon, Myles," said D, "don't you want to know if there's a secret soul mate out there for you? Someone that you may already know?"

"I won't need a piece of shrubbery to help me find the woman of my dreams," Myles replied. "I'll know here," he said pointing to his eyes, "here," then to his heart, and "here," finally pointing to his head.

"Why, Myles!" remarked Tara in astonishment. "I didn't know you could be so romantic!"

"There are many hidden layers to Myles Leland III," he said complacently. "The right woman will be patient enough to delve through all of them."

----------

December 18

The next day the bullpen was abuzz with chatter.

"What's up?" remarked Myles as he entered the office.

"Look above you," instructed Jack.

"What? My halo slipped?"

"Look up!"

"Oh!" He spotted the famed sprig. "When did this happen?"

"I was the first one here at 6:42 and it was already here," said Tara as she looked around the room. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Lucy thoughtfully her eyes landing on Jack.

He fidgeted under her gaze.

"Where's Sue?" asked Tara following Lucy's line of vision.

"She had to meet an informant," Lucy replied. "She'll be in a bit."

"In the meantime, is anyone going to kiss me?" inquired Myles.

"Why?" asked D.

"What if I'm the person this mistletoe was intended for?" he pointed out reasonably. "How will I know unless there's someone to kiss? So I repeat, is anyone go—argh!"

"Say what, Myles?" grinned a mischievous Bobby as he backed away. "Am I your soul mate?"

"You, Bobby Manning, are my worst nightmare!" Myles glared as he rubbed his cheek with his handkerchief. He stomped to his desk muttering under his breath.

Smirks dotted the faces of the rest of the office as they settled down to their tasks at hand. Bobby waggled his eyebrows as he passed the women on the way to his desk.

"Couldn't resist," he admitted as he hung up his jacket. "Myles gave the perfect cue."

He'd been about to enter the office when he heard Myles' request. It had seemed the perfect opportunity to make an entrance and pull a prank on the bloke at the same time. It had worked…beautifully.

As he settled himself into his chair, his grin faded as he glanced at Sue's empty desk. Since the day she had shared about the latest job offer, he'd been thinking a lot about her…how the office wouldn't seem the same without her…how he would miss her…how _much_ he would miss her. He found himself stealing peeks at her more often than usual wondering what she was thinking…wondering if she had second thoughts about her decision…wondering if she was wondering should she take it to be with Jack if that's what she wanted.

Funny, he never thought she and Jack belonged together. It came as quite a shock when Myles had mentioned the possibility several months ago. Jack had never talked about it and he never saw that special connection…that spark when two people were meant for each other.

He sighed. He'd thought he had that connection with Darcy but he'd been wrong, wrong, wrong. Her career had been more important than them. It had hurt but he'd learned dwelling on the things you couldn't change didn't change a thing. Life had gone on. Perhaps one day he'd find that certain someone. He was ready.

----------

"Jack," said Lucy as she hung up the phone, "Jerry said to remind you the meeting is in fifteen minutes. Don't be late."

"Just double-checking to make sure I have everything," he replied shuffling papers into a file. He flipped through the sheets then tapped the edges to make a neat stack. "Ready." He looked up at Lucy. "Anybody calls, take a message."

"Got it."

"And Jack?"

"Yeah?" He pivoted and continued to walk backwards towards the door.

"You said to remind you to pick up a file from Robin on your way back from that meeting."

"Thanks, Lucy," he replied gratefully. "Almost for—oops!"

The rest of the sentence was lost the moment he collided with someone in the doorway.

"Sorry!" he apologized his hands automatically reaching out to steady the other person. "Sue! I'm really sorry. That'll teach me to look where I'm going. You all right?"

"I'm fine," she smiled, "just a little surprised."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Ja-a-c-k!" sang out Myles.

"What?"

"Look up."

"Oh!"

"Oh!" Sue echoed as she tracked Jack's shifting focus. "The Mistletoe Fairy paid us a visit?"

Jack nodded as attention was riveted on the pair under the mistletoe. The thought that they must be the reason the little piece of greenery appeared ran through the minds of everyone in the office—everyone except one.

"Does this mean I have to kiss you?" she said lightly.

"You don't have to," remarked Jack self-consciously.

With a smile, she leaned forward and kissed him quickly. "Merry Christmas, Jack."

"Uh…Merry Christmas, Sue," responded Jack startled at her action. "You didn't have to," he repeated.

"And break tradition?"

"There's something to be said for tradition," he admitted. "That was…nice."

"Just nice?" she teased. It was interesting to see Jack become rattled.

"Um…." He didn't know what to say. "I…have a meeting. I gotta go."

"Don't let me keep you. I'll see you later."

"Yeah…later." He looked at her quizzically for a moment then left. He really had to be at that meeting on time but would he be able to concentrate?

"Good morning!" said Sue cheerfully as she headed towards her desk.

Lucy and Tara shared a look then simultaneously approached their teammate.

"Well?" demanded Lucy.

"Well what?" asked Sue calmly as she put her purse away

"How did you feel when you kissed him?" Tara queried. "Did your toes curl?"

"Spine tingle?" Lucy added. "Thought processes stop?"

"Fine, no, no, and no."

"Excuse me?" asked the two women.

"I said fine, n…," Sue responded.

"No! No! No!" exclaimed Lucy.

"That's right," said Sue her eyes twinkling with mirth, "that's what I said—no, no and no."

"That's not what we meant!"

"It's not?"

"No," Lucy replied a tad bit exasperated, "we meant didn't you feel anything special when you kissed Jack?"

"Special like what?"

"This is where the spine-tingling, toe curling and time stopped bits come in," Tara clarified."

"It was…nice," Sue said matter-of-factly.

"Nothing more?" asked a disappointed Tara.

"Very nice?"

Lucy's shoulders slumped. "Well, if that's the best you can do…."

"Sorry to disappoint you but that's about as descriptive as I can get."

The kiss had been nice but her toes certainly did not curl nor did her spine tingle. It was like kissing…a friend….a good friend but nonetheless, a friend. That mistletoe wasn't meant for her, she decided as she accessed her email.

"Guess they weren't the pair then," commented D.

Myles scanned the office. "I don't see too many more possibilities."

"I was so sure," Lucy murmured to Tara, "that it would be those two."

"Me, too," agreed Tara. "Then who…." The two women continued to quietly discuss possibilities.

----------

Bobby sauntered into the quiet bullpen. Myles and Sue were busy at their desks while Tara was intently listening to yet another tape. He rapped on Sue's desk as he walked past his reward a fleeting smile.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Lunch," she said succinctly.

"And you?"

"Lucy's bringing something back for Tara and me. Did you want something? I can call her," she offered.

"I had a bite. Thanks anyway." With a smile, he headed for his desk.

"No lunch today, Myles?"

"I have a late luncheon date. Unlike some people, I don't have to skip an occasional meal to control my cholesterol level."

Bobby grimaced. "Mine's just fine," he said shortly. Exercise and watching his diet had accomplished that.

"Did you hear that Jack and Sue kissed under the mistletoe?" Myles asked conversationally when his teammate took off his coat.

"Say what?" He had just settled himself at his desk.

"Jack and Sue were under the mistletoe and kissed," Myles repeated patiently.

Bobby shot a glance in Sue's direction. "And?"

"Are you asking me what happened next?"

"Yes, you twit!"

"Temper, temper," said Myles waggling a finger at his teammate. He enjoyed tormenting Bobby from time to time. "Be nice."

"Myles!" hissed Bobby.

"All right, all right, keep your shirt on," placated Myles. He leaned forward and said confidentially. "I don't know what kind of reaction occurred in the other offices but let me just say that Jack was definitely affected."

"And Sue?"

Myles leaned back. "I may be mistaken but Thomas seemed decidedly…"

Bobby braced himself.

"…underwhelmed."

Bobby was taken aback. "She didn't like the kiss?"

"I didn't say she didn't like the kiss."

"What did she say then?"

"That it was nice."

"That's all?"

"That's it."

Bobby turned to observe Sue. As though she could feel his eyes on her, she looked up and flashed a smile at him before returning to her computer.

She didn't _look_ like she'd found her soul mate. Perhaps that Mistletoe Fairy made a mistake this time, he thought as he turned to check his email. Wrong pair, wrong office.

Interested eyes observed the reaction of Bobby to the announcement of the first kiss under the mistletoe in their office. Maybe I'm not so far off after all, the observer mused. Just a week for that little green sprig to work its magic.

----------

December 19

The sound of footsteps in the stairwell made Bobby look up.

"I've been looking for you," said Sue.

"Come to join me in my private office?" joked Bobby half-heartedly.

"If you don't mind some company."

"Have a seat," he gestured to a step. "Needed to get away for a bit of a think," he admitted as she settled herself next to him.

"Oh! Then I should leave you alone," she commented as she motioned to leave.

"No," he said quickly reaching for her wrist, "stay."

She sat back down.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"You looked as though you had something on your mind."

"Was it that obvious?" he asked wryly. The frustration he forgot momentarily came flooding back.

"You want to talk about it?"

Bobby took a moment as he considered her offer. It might help.

"You remember that meeting I had with an informant last week? The same day you met with that woman from NVTC."

"Yeah," she acknowledged. "What about it?"

He shrugged. "I've been checking on her story since then. A rumor here…a rumor there. Nothing concrete." He looked into her eyes.

"Nothing concrete but you're still worried."

"I am."

"Why?"

"What if…what if this one is that one time I let a piece of information slip through my fingers and something happens?"

"Do you think that's the case here?"

"That's it! I don't know." He ran fingers through his hair. "None of the others can corroborate such a threat."

"But…?"

"This person has given me useful bits of information but this is the first time she's given me something like this."

"Do you trust her?"

'That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" There was a moment of silence as he pondered her words. "Ever since 9/11 it's been every intelligence agent's worst nightmare that we may miss that one clue…that one detail that could lead to another such catastrophe," he said seriously. "Do I want to be the agent responsible for that?"

"I think," Sue said slowly, "I think every single one of us lives with that same fear."

"So what do we do?"

"The best we can."

He mulled over her simple words of advice for a few seconds then smiled warmly as he reached for her hand. "I said it before and I'll say it again…the team wouldn't be the same without you."

"So, how can I help?"

His cell went off. "Hold that thought."

"Manning."

Instantly, his demeanor changed. He looked at Sue as the caller spoke.

"Be there in half an hour. Thanks, Julia."

She looked at him with a question in her eyes.

"That informant we were just discussing?"

"Yes?"

"She has details this time. Come with, Miss Thomas?"

In answer, she immediately stood up and held out her hand to pull him up. "What're we waiting for?" she smiled.

Bobby and Sue hurried into the bullpen to grab their things.

"What's up?" asked Jack looking up from the surveillance tape he'd been examining with Tara.

"Meeting with an informant," announced Bobby as they gathered their coats. "Be back in a bit." His hand on the small of her back, he ushered Sue out.

"They were in a hurry," Jack commented.

"Must be important," Tara remarked.

"You think it could be a terrorist threat?" asked Lucy.

"Could be," agreed D. "You know how the threats amp up during the holiday season."

"Wouldn't it be nice if one day Peace on Earth Goodwill to Men was a reality and not just a saying on a Christmas card?" Tara sighed. "And not just for a day either."

"That would be more than nice," Myles replied, "that would be truly miraculous."

"However," broke in Jack, "but it won't happen in our lifetime."

"And not in my kids' lifetime either," said a regretful D.

----------

Bobby and Sue flanked a slender woman in a sheltered spot out of the wind and cold.

"Those men, they came in again," began the informant. "They spoke only in Farsi, except to order."

"You understand Farsi?" an interested Sue asked the red-headed woman.

"Iranian grandmother."

"What did you hear?"

"Something about striking in a perfect place…a day of great religious importance…many important people…the perfect target."

"Did they say exactly what they were planning?"

"I heard the word 'bomb'."

----------

Bullpen

"Heads up!" announced Bobby as he strode into the bullpen.

"What's up?" D asked.

"Received a tip on a potential attack by a possible terrorist cell possibly scheduled for Christmas or the Eve perhaps targeting a church."

"Well, that's nice and vague," Tara remarked.

"Well, your rumor, or tip, goes to the end of the line after the dozen or so other 'tips' we've received about possible attacks during the holidays," Myles pointed out dryly.

"And they all have to be investigated," D reminded.

"Any concrete leads? That could push yours to the front of the line," pointed out Jack. "A name…address…anything?"

"Two names, no addresses but, we may have their faces on tape," he responded holding up a cassette.

"Go to the head of the line!"

"What's the back story?" D asked.

In a few short sentences Bobby filled them in. Just as he finished, Sue entered the office with the informant.

"This is Julia," Bobby introduced. "She's going to help us identify the possible suspects."

"If you're ready….," said Tara.

Sue brought Julia over to Tara's desk and the women began their task.

"I'll start checking to see if anyone's heard about a possible attack on a church," Jack offered, "to corroborate your source's information."

"I'll help," said Myles.

----------

Later

"Any luck?"

"The faces of two of the men were caught on tape," began Tara.

"That's all?"

"That's it. The restaurant has security cameras facing only the entrance and the cashier," she explained. Two barely recognizable faces were flashed on the screen.

"Can you sharpen the pictures?"

"Sorry, The tape has been used multiple times hence the graininess of the pictures. Unlike those tv shows, computers can digitally enhance photos only so much. However, Julia also gave us two names—Hakkim and Peter. She is fairly certain the man on the right is Hakkim."

"And Peter?"

"It could be any of the other three and we don't know if it's a first or last name."

"So we don't know the name of the man in the other photo?"

"No."

"I hope there's some good news here."

"There is. Julia is also fairly sure the men in question are either college students or live in the area so I ran both photos through the INS database and the universities within the DC area. Because we did have a name to work with we were able to narrow the search to these three faces." She pressed a key a photos appeared on the screen.

"Hakkim Ashraf, Hakkim Bhatti and Hakkim El-Rashad." The team could see the resemblance among the three men.

"Any info?"

"We've only started the background checks." Lucy stepped up. "What we did find out is Hakkim Ashraf is a medical student at George Washington. Hakkim Bhatti is a financial adviser. He married an American about three years ago and is the father of a two year old boy."

"Hakkim number three?"

"Hakkim El-Rashad is a graduate student at George Mason. I did find something interesting about him. Guess what his major is?" She scanned the faces before her. "No takers?"

"I'm thinking dance would be wishful thinking," Myles responded sardonically.

"It would. Want to try again?"

"No."

"Try chemical engineering."

"Say what?" asked an astonished Bobby.

"Chemical engineering!" exclaimed Myles. "Now that sheds a different light on your rumor, Koala Boy. I think perhaps the nebulous probability of a terrorist attack has now become a more tangible possibility."

"Not good," D said shaking his head, "not good at all."

"I'm running the other photo through the databases but without a name it's gonna take some time."

"In the meantime, we need to gather more information on all three Hakkims," Bobby reminded everyone. "Sue and I will focus on El-Rashad since he seems to have the most likely background but we can't entirely rule out the other two."

"Myles and I will check out the other two," offered Jack.

"Lucy, check credit card usage, cell phone…."

"I know the drill," she interrupted heading for her desk.

"I'll lend a hand as soon as I get back from the meeting upstairs," promised D.

"Okay, people, let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

18

Mistletoe and Mayhem

Chapter 2

----------

December 20

George Mason University

"Special Agent Manning," Bobby stated holding up his FBI badge, "and Agent Thomas."

"Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice, Professor Park," Sue began graciously.

"You lucked out," Professor Meredith Park responded. "Another day and I would've been out of town. What do you want to know?" 

"No beating around the bush for you, eh, Professor?" remarked Bobby sardonically.

"I can think of only one reason why the FBI would be here," Park responded dryly. "You want information."

"We do. We'd like any information you may have on student named Hakkim El-Rashad," Sue answered.

"Hakkim?"

"You seem surprised."

"I am."

"Mind telling us why?"

"He just doesn't strike me as the type the FBI would be interested in."

"And what type are we interested in?"

"Subversive? Volatile? Rabble-rouser?"

"And he's none of those?"

"He's pleasant enough. He's always been cordial when we meet."

"Is that often?"

"No. As department chair, I don't get a chance to know all the students as much as I'd like to unless they're under my direct supervision."

"What kind of student is he?"

"Far as I know he's a good student, not brilliant but definitely capable."

"Any friends that you know of?"

"I imagine so. Like I said, he's pleasant enough."

Sue withdrew two photos from a folder. "Do you recognize either man? He may be here in your department either as a student or faculty member."

Park jabbed at the photo on the right. "This is Hakkim. It's a really bad picture of him."

"And the other man?"

"I'm not positive but I think I've seen him with Hakkim several times."

"Do you think he could be a university student?"

"I can't say with absolute certainty but he probably is."

"Do students have access to chemicals?" asked Bobby

"Certainly," confirmed Park, raising an eyebrow at the obvious. "This is after all the chemical engineering department. Students need access to chemicals for experiments and individual projects."

"How do you monitor usage?"

"Since 9/11, all students, faculty and staff members are required to sign out any and all chemicals."

"Is anything missing?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Would you know?"

"I would after inventory."

"When is that?"

"At the end of the semester."

"Didn't the semester end a couple of days ago?"

"It did."

"So do you have an inventory?"

"We should."

"You should?"

Park bristled. "We don't have one yet."

"But you said…"

"The end of the semester is an extremely hectic time for us. We take inventory at the end of the semester after grades have been submitted which is today."

"Who does it?"

"Usually an instructor with an assistant."

"We would really appreciate it if you could have the inventory done as soon as possible and let us know what you find," suggested Bobby as he handed Park his card. "You can call this number with the information."

"I can tell you right now I don't like what you're intimating," Park stated flatly.

"Neither do we," Bobby responded.

"This is one instance where we'd be more than happy to be proven wrong," Sue told him frankly.

Park's eyes shifted from one agent to the other and saw the truth on their faces.

"I know I don't have to tell you we'd prefer to keep this visit as quiet as possible," said Bobby as they readied to depart.

"Of course."

"By the way, when was the last time El-Rashad was here?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," said Park shaking his head. "I'm assuming it was during finals. We have a couple of students running experiments but for the most part, only the office staff is here so close to the holiday."

"If he shows up, could you give us a call?"

"Of course."

"Thank you…and Merry Christmas," said Sue.

"You, too."

Their footsteps echoed in the nearly deserted hallways.

"Not a warm and fuzzy kind of guy," Sue commented facetiously.

"No," agreed Bobby, "but all is forgiven if he's identified another suspect."

----------

"Hey!" announced Tara the moment Bobby and Sue walked through the doorway. "Good news!"

"I could do with some," Bobby responded.

"The sketch the professor ID? Two hits."

"Great! He could be suspect number two."

"Or just a friend," reminded Sue.

"Or just a friend," Bobby agreed.

"Well, in either case, here we are," said Tara as two photos appeared on the large screen. "The one on the left is Fateen Nazir and the one on the right Idrees Khalid."

"Any connection to Hakkims one, two or three?"

"Keep in mind we haven't been able to do an in-depth check on either man yet."

"I hear a 'however' coning up."

"Good listening," acknowledged Tara. "Our preliminary check indicates that Nazir also attends George Mason."

"Majoring in…."

"…mechanical engineering." She paused a moment to let the bit of information sink in. "So we don't _know_ if Nazir knows El-Rashad but…"

"…now it's a possibility since both are in engineering," finished Bobby.

"Right."

"What about the surveillance? Any word from Myles?"

"You just missed his last check-in," Lucy shared.

"And?" asked Bobby.

"No sign of El-Rashad yet but he did send some surveillance photos. Maybe your informant could take a look at them?"

"We'll take them by."

"And…."

"And?"

"He did have one final thing to say."

"Which was….?"

"His last words were and I quote…'Who's taking the next shift and it better be soon because I have a dinner date with a beautiful brunette.'"

"A beautiful brunette?" mused Jack interest gleaming in his eyes at this bit of information. "Anyone we know?"

"Rumor has it that it's someone in Accounting," Lucy contributed.

"Hey!" exclaimed Tara. "Maybe that's why the mistletoe showed up in this office. Whoever this woman is, maybe she's Myles' secret soul mate!"

Jack and Sue could barely contain their mirth while Bobby grinned at the thought.

"Don't laugh," admonished Tara. "However unlikely it sounds, Myles may have a soul mate out there secret or otherwise. After all, they say there's someone for everyone in this world if you look hard enough."

"You know," said a non-plussed Lucy, "Tara could be right. After all, with the financial background of the Lelands, someone in Accounting makes sense. " She saw the looks of disbelief. "Hey…it's a start. Not to mention any names and dash any hopes but the couple we thought was the couple turned out not to be the couple so we have to find another couple as the reason for that mistletoe or our whole theory is shot."

"So you're saying if the couple doesn't click after one kiss under the mistletoe then the couple really isn't meant to be a couple?" questioned Jack.

"So it seems," Lucy nodded philosophically.

"No second chances?"

"None to date."

Jack looked thoughtful as he glanced at Sue.

At the mention of the word couple, Sue had made tracks for the coffee station. She knew what was coming—Lucy would look at her with that thoughtful gleam wondering about Jack and her. No matter how many times she denied it, her roommate didn't believe her. She liked Jack, she really did but she wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with him...not any more. Their time had come and gone.

"I wish Myles all the best with his beautiful brunette," Bobby started, "but this threat has become a credible one and if Christmas _is_ the holiday of religious significance it's right around the corner. Our priority right now is to find those men. He may have to postpone or reschedule his date."

He looked around for confirmation. Somber expressions dotted the faces of the team.

"All right. We need to set up the rest of the surveillance teams while the rest of us contact our sources and see if there's any further chatter on the streets. Let's see who…"

"I'll go next," volunteered Sue.

"Anyone wants to…"

"I'll do it," Jack offered.

"You and I can take the next shift," Tara promptly added.

"Works for me," agreed Bobby. "Change at six and midnight. Now, where are those prints? I'd like to drop by the restaurant and see if Julia can ID any of them."

"Right here," replied Lucy handing him a fairly thick envelope. "Be thankful El-Rashad doesn't live in a bustling neighborhood. There'd be a lot more."

"Now, who's going to be the lucky one to tell Myles he has to work tonight?"

----------

"I want to say another thanks for taking the next shift on surveillance," Bobby remarked as they drove to the informant's work place.

"It's called teamwork. Besides, the sooner we solve the case the sooner we can help Myles and The Cause," replied Sue.

"The Cause?" He could hear the capital letters in her voice.

"Myles and his brunette," she explained. "If she can forgive him for breaking their date tonight and still begin dating, then the Mistletoe Fairy will have successfully struck again. A perfect track record."

"I understand you and Jack had an encounter under that sprig of greenery," Bobby said carefully as his eyes slid sideways to look at her.

"It was an accident."

"Any truth to the rumor that it was a magical moment?" he asked stealing another glance.

"Maybe for Jack."

"And you?"

"Nope."

To his surprise, Bobby felt strangely relieved.

"Are you sure?" he asked wanting to be certain.

Sue sighed in exasperation.

"What?"

"Not you, too!"

"What?"

"You sound just like Lucy."

"Like Luce? How?"

"No matter what I say, she still thinks Jack and I would make a 'cute' couple."

"What do _you_ think?"

"What I _know_ is Jack and I are friends," she said firmly. "Nothing more nothing less."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

----------

"I have to be back in ten minutes," said a tired Julia.

"We won't take too long," Bobby responded sincerely, "and thanks again for your time and help."

"Do you recognize either man?" Sue asked handing the woman two photos.

"This one. He's with the group."

"You sure now?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now, Julia, I need you to look at a few more photos," Bobby said as he took out a thick envelope. "I know this might be difficult because of the quality of the pictures but do any of these men look familiar?"

"Who are they?"

"People going in and out of El-Rashad's apartment building. We had them blown up as much as possible."

"There are so many…." Her voice trailed off as she began to flip through the stack of pictures.

"I know," Sue said apologetically. "Just do the best you can."

The two agents stared hopefully at the young woman while she continued to scan each picture.

Ready to give up, she shuffled the final few photos. "I don't think…." Julia stared at the last one.

"What is it?"

"Him," she said with certainty, "he's one of them."

"Are you sure?"

"It looks like him."

"That's…that's great," Sue responded appreciatively marveling at their luck.

"Can I go now?"

"Of course," Bobby stood. "We'll need your help to identify the fourth man."

"If I can."

"Thanks, Julia."

With a nod, she was gone.

"All we have to do is ID this bloke…," Bobby said delighted at the unexpected good fortune.

"…then we'll have three members of the group since Julia connected Hakkim's friend to the lunch bunch," finished up Sue as they walked back to the car.

"Now all we need to do is find the fourth man."

"We will."

"I like your optimism, Miss Thomas."

Sue smiled. "Okay…now what?"

Bobby looked at his watch. "Now we head back to the office, have Tara run this photo through the databases while you get ready for your watch with Jack."

"Sounds like a plan."

They'd taken only a few steps when suddenly Bobby heard shouting from behind them.

"Stop! Thief!"

Bobby turned and caught a brief glimpse of startled people being shoved to the side when a figure thudded past jostling them. Regaining his footing, Bobby was in immediate pursuit.

Bodies were thrust aside as the suspect pushed his way to freedom. A busy street loomed ahead. The thief hesitated a moment before crossing but it was long enough for the long-legged FBI agent to catch up.

"Hold on there, mate!" Bobby panted as he grabbed the thief's collar and yanked the arm holding the purse behind his back. "You're under arrest!" He pushed the man against a building and whipped out handcuffs.

"Lemme go! I didn't do nothing!" yelled the suspect. "You got no right to hold me!"

"Sure I do," Bobby replied. "FBI."

"The Feds!" groaned the purse-snatcher.

"Live and in person. You picked a bad day to do a grab and snatch."

"I didn't steal it! I found it! Honest!"

"Yea…right," Bobby said dryly noting the discrepancy appearance of the suspect and the designer bag. "Is that why she was yelling, 'Stop, thief!'?"

"Okay, okay…move on the side," ordered a loud voice. "What do we have here?" asked the police officer eyeing the situation.

"A purse snatcher, Officer…" Bobby peered at his badge, "Walters. This drongo appears to have stolen a woman's handbag."

"It's mine!" the suspect said stubbornly.

"Well, well, well," said the officer recognizing the man. "Up to your usual tricks, eh, Freddy? Those judges could save me a lot of time if they kept you in jail," he said shaking his head.

"You know this bloke?"

"Freddy and I are old friends, aren't we, Freddy?" responded Officer Walters reaching for his cuffs. "I'll take it from here, buddy."

"Oh, good!" panted a feminine voice. The two men turned to see a well-dressed older woman. "You've caught the thief!"

"This man did," nodded Officer Walters.

"Thank you, Mr….?"

"Manning."

"Thank you, Mr. Manning."

"I'm glad I was able to help," he smiled. He looked at the officer. "Do you need me?"

"Nope," was the short reply. "Thanks for your help. Ma'am, if you could wait a few…"

Bobby stepped away and turned to look for his companion.

"Sue?" he searched the crowd—she was nowhere to be seen. "Sue?"

Worried, he retraced his steps craning his neck to find her. Finally, he spotted her holding her wrist as a man solicitously hovered by her. Quickly, he strode over.

"Sue?" he asked putting a hand on her arm. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"She fell when that purse-snatcher shoved his way past," explained the man. "I think she may have sprained her wrist. She needs to have it checked."

"I'm all right," protested Sue tersely.

"Let me be the judge of that," said Bobby. "Thank you, mate."

"I hope your wife will be fine," he smiled. "I must go."

"She's not…"

"I'm not…"

The man disappeared into the crowd before the next word could be uttered.

"Wife, huh?" Sue commented. "Whatever gave him that idea?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." He carefully took her gloved hand in his and gently flexed it. "How's that?"

"Oooo. Fine," she grimaced.

"Sure you are," he said wryly noting her reaction. "You're so fine we're going to emergency. What say we head to the hospital for our honeymoon, Mrs. Manning?"

"I could think of more romantic places. You know, like dinner for two at the Willard."

"You're on…as soon as your wrist is better."

"I was joking, Bobby."

"I wasn't. Now that I've given you sufficient incentive, shall we have that wrist checked out?

"I'm okay, Bobby, really."

"Humor me," he cajoled gently. Concerned blue-grey eyes stared into dark green ones.

"All right," she relented.

"Good." He reached down for Levi's leash. "C'mon, boy, let's take Sue to the doctor."

In a few steps they were at the car.

"Bobby?" asked Sue as he let Levi in the back.

"Yeah?"

"I'm supposed to go on surveillance with Jack."

"I'll call Tara and explain," he told her as he opened her door.

"I'll take her shift," Sue said when he slid into the driver's seat.

"You're going home and rest that wrist. I'll get someone else to cover."

"I don't need my wrist to do surveillance," she pointed out, "only my eyes."

"You're going home," he said firmly.

"I'm taking Tara's shift," she said equally firmly.

He gave her a quick glance.

"Has anyone told you you're a stubborn woman, Sue Thomas?"

"Only way I wound up on this team…along with a good dose of luck."

Bobby's dimples flashed. "It was our lucky day," he smiled reaching for her hand to squeeze it.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!"

----------

Bobby snapped shut his cell and headed back inside Emergency. While sympathetic, Sam Ellington had not been happy to be pulled into surveillance duty for Sue.

"Sorry, mate," the Aussie agent had apologized, "but there's no one else willing to do this and you're next on the list."

"I know," Sam had grumbled, "but this sucks. I'm in the middle of packing for our family vacation. Jeannie is going to hit the roof."

"It'll only be for a day or two at the most."

"It better be or you are going to owe me big time, Manning."

"I'll give you my first born, Sam."

"Throw in lunch and we'll consider it even."

"You got it. Thanks, mate."

A grunt on the other end had ended the call.

Bobby paused a moment to prepare himself to face the wrath of his partner at his news. He pushed aside the privacy curtain and announced, "Found someone to take your place on surveillance."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking my shift!" Sue glared.

"Sam said he'd be glad to do it for you and only you."

"Sam? Sam Ellington? He's supposed to be leaving for a trip tomorrow. He can't take my place! They're taking the baby to show his parents! You call him right back!"

"Sue! You…"

"Am I interrupting something?" asked a voice as the curtains parted. Bobby whirled around.

"No."

"Sorry it took so long but radiology was swamped. Took a while to get these back," he explained holding up the x-rays.

"How is she, Doctor?"

"The good news is no broken bones," replied the doctor pointing to the images on the screen. "It's just a sprain. That being said, it'll be sore for a couple of weeks so it's important her wrist is rewrapped daily and she uses the sling for a day or two. That'll help with the discomfort."

"So she can't work."

"It depends on what she does."

"She…"

"Excuse me, but I'm here," interrupted a determined Sue waving her good hand. "I can speak for myself."

"Sorry," apologized the young resident.

"I feel fine. Can I work?"

"Like I said, it depends on what you do. It really shouldn't be a problem unless you're on the computer a lot or you're planning to do handsprings," he replied with an encouraging smile. "Of course, no lifting with that arm. Be careful and use that hand as little as possible for the next few days."

"Are you sure she doesn't need to take a day or two off?"

"Positive," Dr. Hayashi replied, "unless it's really hurting. I'll prescribe a mild painkiller if it really bothers you but otherwise, an Aleve or two should be sufficient. Any other questions?" His eyes darted between the tall Aussie and the blonde on the bed. "No? Well, if you think of any later, feel free to call. The nurse will be coming in to wrap her wrist. After that, she signs some papers and she's free to go. Take care."

"You heard the doctor," said Sue when they were alone. "He said I _can_ do my job."

"I still think you should go home and rest."

"I will after we get out of here and after you call Sam. I'm taking Tara's shift which is really my shift now."

Their eyes locked as a battle of wills went on silently.

"All right," Bobby relented. "But I'll do the driving."

"All right," Sue graciously conceded. She'd won her point.

"Now where's that nurse?"

----------

"Lucy!" called out Sue when she opened the door. "Lucy?" She scanned the apartment for signs of her roommate.

"No one's here," Bobby commented from behind her. Only the lit lamp on the end table indicated that someone had been home.

"Maybe she's working late," said Sue as she turned around. "Someone told the team we…oof! Ouch!" she uttered as her sore wrist hit Bobby. She didn't realize he was right behind her.

"Sorry…I shouldn't have been so close," he countered as he held her arms. "Are you okay? Did you hurt your wrist again?" Gazing at her, he could feel the stirring of an emotion…the same feeling he had the first time he saw her—attraction with a capital A.

"I…uh…I'm…I'm okay." Sue could feel her heart pound faster at his nearness. _Bobby_ was making her pulse race?

The seconds ticked by until Levi began pawing Sue's pant leg.

"Um, Bobby/"

"Yea?'

"Levi wants me."

"Oh." Reluctantly he released Sue. "What is it, boy?"

Levi walked over to his food dish and looked at them.

Sue chuckled. "He's telling us he's hungry. It's way past his usual meal time." She moved to get the bag of dog food and was stumped. She couldn't pour it. She looked helplessly at Bobby.

"I'll do it," he offered. "You go and rest. I'll make sure Levi's fed."

"What about you? You need to rest, too."

"I'll feed Levi and leave. I'll be back for you at 1:15. Now go, scoot!"

"Bobby?"

"Yea?"

"This is only a suggestion but maybe you should sleep here?" she suggested tentatively.

"Here? What will the neighbors think, Miss Thomas?" he teased.

"The neighbors can think whatever they want to think!" she retorted. "I was just thinking even if you left right now, you'd be able to get only a couple of hours of sleep before you have to come back here. If you rested here, you'd be able to get at least another hour or so."

"There's a thought."

"You can sleep on the bed," she offered.

A mischievous gleam appeared in Bobby's eyes. "Really?"

"By yourself," she added hastily, "you can sleep on the bed by yourself. I'll take the couch."

"I'm not about to throw you out of your room…or bed," he smirked.

Sue opened her mouth then closed it. She refused to let him fluster. "I'll be fine on the couch."

"No, _should_ I decide to stay, I'll take the couch," Bobby said firmly.

"But…!"

Bobby held up his finger. "No arguments," he instructed. "I'm the team leader on this case and you don't argue with the team leader."

"Since when?"

"Since now." When she didn't move, he looked at her. "The longer you stand there the less time we both have to rest."

"All right…I can take a hint. Don't forget to change his water, too."

"Got it."

The door to her bedroom closed behind her.

Bobby took off his coat and busied himself.

"Here you go, Levi," he said as he placed the full bowl in front of the dog. "Bon appétit."

Hungrily, the canine began wolfing down his food. Smiling, Bobby refilled the water dish. When he stood up, he stretched. It had been a long day and was going to be longer. Maybe he would stay over at the girls' apartment.

"My bag," he muttered, "I need my bag but it's in the car. If I leave, how am I am going to get back in? I need the key."

He lifted his hand to rap on Sue's door when he paused in mid-air. "What am I doing?" he muttered. "She won't…."

"Oh!" said a surprised Sue as she opened the door. "I was just going to brush my teeth. Did you want something?"

"The key…to the apartment."

"Are you moving in?"

"Temporarily." At her quizzical look, he added, "For a few hours. I want to grab my duffle from the car."

"Sure." She disappeared into her room and came back holding a set of keys in her hand. "Key to operate the elevator, keys to the apartment…deadbolt, door."

"Be back in a few."

Pleased Bobby accepted her suggestion; she rummaged in the linen closet for a pillow, blanket and sheet and began to prep the couch for their unexpected guest. It was awkward with the use of only one hand. Suddenly, she felt hands gently but firmly move her aside.

"Eek!" she uttered as she whipped around to see who it was.

"Sorry!" apologized Bobby his hands still on her arms. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

"Maybe not but you certainly did a good job!"

She could still feel her heart beating rapidly but now she didn't know if it from being startled or so close to Bobby. What _was_ the matter with her?

Concerned, he bent down to catch her eye. "Are you all right?"

She nodded as she took a couple of slow breaths. "I'm okay." She looked up and flashed a quick smile.

"Good." Reluctantly he released her. "You didn't have to bother," said Bobby nodding at the partially made up couch. "I could've done it."

"You're a guest," she said as he finished tucking in the sheet in the crevices of the sofa.

"I'm not a guest," he corrected. "I'm a …" He looked puzzled. "I don't know. What am I?"

"Well, I don't know what you are either but I wanted to make you as comfortable as possible. Here," she said handing him the pillow.

"Compared to some of the other places I've had to sleep, this will be almost like heaven."

"I hope you say the same thing when you wake up in two hours."

"I'll let you know. Go brush your teeth. I'm next."

----------


	3. Chapter 3

15

Mistletoe and Mayhem

Chapter 3

----------

Last time I try to be nice to Ruthie McAllister! groaned Lucy as she pushed opened the apartment door . It was late---very late. A chance meeting with an acquaintance in the parking garage and one relatively innocuous question had resulted in a flood of tears and a garbled explanation. Only after a considerable amount of time and innumerable murmurings of sympathy had Ruthie calmed down enough for the two women to part. Her friend really needed the help of the Mistletoe Fairy in picking men.

Grimacing, she closed the door behind her and shrugged out of her coat. Suddenly, the bathroom door popped open.

"Hey, Luce!" Bobby cheerfully greeted her as he buttoned his shirt. "Home late are we?"

"Bobby!" Lucy screamed dropping her things. "What are you doing here?"

"It seems to be my night for scaring women," he commented as he crouched down to pick up the scattered items.

"When you pop out unexpectedly from their bathrooms in the middle of the night, I don't blame them for screaming," said Lucy breathlessly. "What _are_ you doing here?"

Before he could say a word, she grabbed his arm as a thought occurred to her. "It's Sue, isn't it? She's hurt more seriously than you thought, isn't she? Did you have to stay to take care of her? I'm sorry I should've…"

"Hold on, Luce!" said Bobby stemming the flood of words. He juggled the packages to clamp a hand on her shoulder. "Hold on! Sue's fine…or she will be in a few days. It was exactly what I suspected—a sprained wrist."

"Is that it?"

"That's it."

"Then why are you here?"

"Your very stubborn roommate is insisting on taking Tara's shift on surveillance with me since Tara took her shift with Jack."

"But…that doesn't explain why you're here in our bathroom in the middle of the night."

"Sue suggested I stay here instead of going home so I'd have more time to rest, and after great deliberation decided she made sense."

"She frequently does. Where did you sleep? On the couch?"

"Where else?"

She critically eyed his lanky frame from top to bottom. "There's always the floor which might be more comfortable than our sofa considering you're just so gosh darn tall."

Bobby chuckled. "As I told your roommate, I've slept in worse places."

She nodded recalling some of the more nerve-wracking covert operations. She never liked it when her friends went undercover. "Don't remind me."

"I won't but I will ask…why so late?"

"I did the background checks like you wanted and was headed for my car when I ran into Ruthie McCallister on the way and you know what that means."

"Lost another boyfriend, has she?"

Lucy's eyes widened in amazement, "You knew?"

"I do have my sources, you know, Miss Dotson cultivated by years of experience with the FBI," he kidded solemnly.

"You know, if I close my eyes I could swear it was Myles talking," Lucy shot back.

"There's no need to insult me, Lucy Dotson," Bobby declared assuming an injured air. "I thought we were friends."

"It'll be in the past tense if you keep spouting off Mylesisms," she retorted.

"Mylesisms?"

"You know, things that Myles would say. You may deny it but I think you two guys are more alike than either of you would care to admit."

"And the insults keep coming," he answered in a wounded tone.

"Blame yourself!" she said heartlessly. "Where's Sue?"

"Changing…I think."

As if on cue, the door to Sue's bedroom opened. "Bobby, do you think…," she said holding up her elastic bandage in one hand with her coat in the other. "Lucy!" she said in surprise. "When did you get home?"

"Just now. Heard you're about to head out."

"As soon as I get my wrist re-wrapped. It came loose." She looked at Bobby. "Do you mind?"

"I think the question should be asking is 'do you know how'?" said Lucy.

"Of course, I do," he declared as he took hold of the wrapping. "Not only have I received first aid training courtesy of the Bureau, but having experienced many a strained and sprained appendage myself, I have become somewhat of a reluctant expert. Allow me."

Bobby began wrapping the elastic around Sue's wrist.

"Tell me if it's too tight," he instructed her.

She nodded then turned to Lucy. "Where…?"

"More Mylesisms," muttered Lucy.

Sue looked puzzled. "More what?"

"_Myles-isms_," Lucy fingerspelled.

"What's that?"

"Myles-speak."

"Myles? Like in our Myles?"

"None other."

She glanced at Bobby for clarification.

"Luce has informed me I seem to have a penchant for speaking somewhat like our irritating Harvard educated teammate," explained Bobby as he put the finishing touches on the wrapping.

"Well…" said Sue as a smile tugged the corner of her lips, "now that you mention it…"

"Hmm, I may need to choose my words more carefully around you two from now on!" he responded. "There…how does that feel? Not too tight, is it?"

Sue cautiously flexed her fingers and wrist. "Feels fine…for a sprained wrist."

"Now, are you sure you want to come with me?" Bobby asked once more. "It won't be any trouble finding someone else."

"I could go if all you need are a pair of eyes," volunteered Lucy.

"You don't have to," Sue said firmly. "I'm going."

"Are you…"

"Bobby…I'm fine."

Lucy's eyes darted between her two friends as she watched them wage a nonverbal argument. She was putting her money on Sue.

"All right," Bobby acquiesced as he reached for her coat. "At least let me help you with your coat."

"Thanks," she smiled graciously. "See you later, Lucy."

"Be careful."

----------

Surveillance Apartment

Tara smothered a yawn.

"Tired?" asked Jack.

"A little. It's been a long day."

"Yeah."

"I hope all this surveillance pays off soon."

"Mmm," responded Jack. He tweaked the camera's angle.

"We were lucky this place was available. At least we can move around instead of being cooped up in a car."

"True."

Tara stopped typing and looked at her teammate with a puzzled expression. The usually affable agent had been unusually reticent on their shift.

"Something wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Usually you're a little more chatty than this…not that I'm saying you talk a lot, but this is a little quiet for you."

"Oh."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"_Is_ something wrong?"

"Um…no," he said uncertainly.

"You said that so convincingly," she teased.

He shrugged half-heartedly.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Jack thought for a moment. Maybe it would help to talk to someone. He didn't have a clue himself.

"I've been thinking about what Lucy said."

"She's said so many things," she kidded. "Anything in particular?"

"About that mistletoe that's been showing up in the building…and no second chances."

"It's all in fun, Jack."

"I know…but like I said, it got me thinking."

Tara waited as her teammate gathered his thoughts.

"How do you know when the time's right to pursue a relationship?" was the surprising question.

"Me? You're asking the queen of blind dates and dumb choices in men?"

"You seem to have hit the jackpot with Stanley."

Tara's face softened. "I have, haven't I?" She looked at Jack. "That was just dumb luck. I wasn't looking for a relationship when we met. It just kinda happened."

"What if you've been thinking about it a long time but haven't done anything about it?"

"Because of the no dating policy?"

"Maybe."

"I'd say if the relationship is worth pursuing, you'd find a way around it."

"What if it might mean transferring?"

"Then you have to decide if it's worth it." She let her words sink in, "That being said, I'd want to make sure the other party is thinking along the same lines as I was before taking such drastic action because sometimes…sometimes the right moment may come and slip away while you make up your mind on what to do."

"Thinking about anyone in particular?"

"No, just reflecting upon the missed opportunities in my life."

"Well, you didn't miss it when Stanley came along."

"No…but it did take a little nudge from a couple of guardian angels."

"Is that what you call them?"

She scrunched her nose. "Most times."

"Thanks, Tara."

"I kinda feel like Dear Abby," she smirked. "Usually I'm on the receiving end of the advice. It's a nice feeling." The smile disappeared and a stern look appeared instead. "But don't let it get around. Happy as I am with Stanley, I can barely handle my own love life as it is. I'll leave the advice-giving to Lucy."

Jack laughed and flashed a smile. "Your secret is safe with me."

----------

"Anything?" asked Bobby when they entered the apartment.

"We took a bunch of pictures earlier but traffic's pretty much stopped," Tara reported as she straightened from her shift at the window. "Just a couple of people in the last half hour."

"Should be quiet," Jack remarked. "How's the wrist?"

"A little sore but I'll be fine," smiled Sue. "Sorry you had to change your plans."

"Not a problem," Tara said promptly. "The byword of being an FBI agent is flexibility!"

"Among others," Bobby commented dryly recalling other choice words dates had used in the past about cancelled engagements.

"Okay, so bring us up to speed."

Information was exchanged as the teams prepared to change shifts.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Good. See you tomorrow…today."

"Uh…Sue?" asked Jack as he pulled on his jacket.

"Mmm?"

"Uh…," he paused.

She waited expectantly.

Uncertainty flitted across his face as he sought for the courage to say the right words and failed. Maybe he could find the words when they were alone.

"See you tomorrow?" he said feebly.

"I won't see you today?"

"What? Oh, right. Today, I mean and tomorrow, too."

"Sure."

Tara's glance flicked between her two friends. If Jack really was interested in Sue, it didn't look like he was going to make a move any time soon. Too bad. A girl could wait only so long. Based on her reaction to the kiss under the mistletoe, maybe Sue had decided enough was enough. Maybe there was some truth to the Mistletoe Fairy's mission after all…maybe Jack and Sue weren't meant to be together.

"See you guys sometime later today," Tara said out loud. "I'll download the shots we took and see if we have any matches to the sketches."

"Thanks, Tara," said Bobby. "'Night or what's left of it."

"I'll take the first shift," Sue offered when the door closed.

"Right-o." He held up a package. "Feel like a bit o' tucker? You didn't eat much for supper."

"My wrist took my mind off of eating."

"Then you must be famished." He held up two sandwiches. "Chicken salad or ham and cheese?"

"Chicken salad."

The pair munched in companionable silence. Sue watched the street below while Bobby watched Sue. The sounds of the city were muted at that hour of the night.

As she turned for her cup of coffee, she noticed Bobby looking at her.

"What? Something wrong with my hair?"

"No, your hair's fine."

"Something wrong with my face?"

"No."

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"I like looking at you."

"Oh." She digested her food and his words as she resumed her watch. Bobby liked looking at her?

"You see me every day," she commented after awhile.

"I see you but I don't get to really _look_ at you. You're not a bad-looking sheila, Miss Thomas," he said cheekily after moving his chair to be in her line of sight.

"I vaguely seem to recall someone saying the very same thing a few years ago," she said with a smile.

"Discerning bloke. Must appreciate the finer things in life."

Sue opened her mouth then closed it again. Sometimes Bobby said the most surprising things.

Now what made him say that, wondered Bobby as he took another bite of his sandwich. Sometimes Sue had the most unexpected effect on him.

----------

Bullpen

"Good morning, one and all!" Myles announced to the room at large as he strode in.

"I take it the beautiful brunette was okay about meeting for coffee last night," commented Lucy.

"Not only okay but perfectly fine. She seems to understand the plight of a federal agent balancing one's duties to one's country mingled with a personal life."

"I hope it continues."

"So do I. We are planning another attempt at fine dining tonight if our exalted leader permits it," he smiled in satisfaction as he hung his coat.

"Two dates in two nights?" D remarked. "Isn't that too much too soon?"

"Not in this case," he replied as he began flipping through the messages on his desk.

Speculative glances bounced back and forth. Who was this mysterious brunette?

"You know, Myles," began D as he fiddled with his pen, "if I didn't know better, I'd say you were smitten with this woman."

"Smitten?" Myles looked affronted. "Lelands are never smitten. We are…" He paused as he searched for the appropriate words.

"Lelands are…" D prompted.

"Appreciative of the finer things in life," he said finally.

"And you put this woman in that category?" questioned Jack.

"Oh, undoubtedly."

"After one date?"

"Sometimes all it takes is a look."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Jack's face.

"He's smitten all right," Lucy tossed out.

"Does this woman have a name?" D continued his interrogation.

"Yes she does but Lelands also like to keep their personal lives private," he responded reaching for the topmost file. "That's why it's called a private life…get it?"

Exasperated looks bounced around as people went back to their tasks at hand.

"Hey, Lucy!" Jack called out.

"Uh-huh?"

"Did you get a chance to talk to Sue before you left this morning?"

"Uh-huh, just before she left for her shift. It's a sprained wrist."

"Better than a broken one and be in a cast," Tara remarked. "That is not fun."

"As you and your fellow ballerinas-in-training should know, Miss Twinkletoes," Myles dropped as he began reading his email.

Tara just rolled her eyes. She should never have shared that bit of information, she decided in exasperation.

"How's she getting around?" queried Jack. "She can't drive with that wrist, can she?"

"I think she could but it doesn't matter. Bobby's got it covered. After the stake-out, they're going to take a short nap then show up here."

"He's dropping her off and picking her up? I could run over and pick her up. Save Bobby some time."

"Not a problem. He's crashing at the apartment again."

"Crash is crashing at your apartment?" commented Myles. "That seems a bit redundant."

"Wait!" interrupted Jack. "You said he's sleeping over _again_?"

"Yeah," she responded giving him a look of surprise. "He slept at our place after bringing Sue home from emergency and before their turn at surveillance. She thought it would be a better use of his time than driving back and forth."

"Smart," Tara concurred.

"Now that we've agreed Bobby is getting enough beauty sleep, anything of interest?" D inquired bringing the focus back to the business on hand.

"I have…and I think it could be classified under good news," Tara announced. "Well, maybe not good news but certainly not bad news. I think I would…"

"Tara?"

"Yeah?"

"Share."

"Right. That photo Bobby's informant picked out? Here he is." She tapped a few keys and a picture flashed on the screen. "Nabeel Salih."

"Were you able to…." Jack's head jerked around at the sound of laughter at the doorway

"You two sound pretty jolly after being on surveillance," Lucy commented when she saw her friends entering the bullpen with smiling faces.

"Tis the season," stated Sue.

"Nothing like good company to make one merry," Bobby responded as they shared a smile.

Interested eyes noted the moment. The bond that linked the tall Aussie with the blonde one seemed to have a little more sparkle than usual. Maybe the Mistletoe Fairy was right after all.

"Hey, you're just in time," Lucy piped up.

"We are?"

"Look…"

"Bobby!" Sue grabbed his arm in astonishment.

"Hey!"

"Is it?" asked Sue as she locked gazes with Bobby.

"It sure looks like the bloke."

"What? You know him?" exclaimed a shocked Lucy.

"We don't _know_ him but he stopped to see if I was hurt when I fell," Sue explained.

"And you didn't recognize him?"

"I'm sorry," a chagrined Sue apologized. "I wasn't thinking about the photo at the time."

"It's not your fault. I should've recognized the bloke," Bobby declared. "It's my fault."

"Water under the bridge," Dimitrius said firmly. "Things happen. The important thing here is to find out who he is and what they're doing. We don't have much time left."

"Right."

"Sorry."

"So, Bobby, what were you thinking we should do next?"

"Well, I…"

"Bobby?" interrupted Lucy.

"Yea?"

"Phone call…Professor Park from George Mason. Something about an inventory?"

"Thanks, Lucy."

The murmur of voices and tapping of keys came to an abrupt halt as an explosive "What!" pierced through the bullpen. All talk stopped as eyes swiveled towards Bobby.

"Are you sure? Do you know what items are missing?"

"What's up?" asked Sue when she noticed the looks in Bobby's direction. His back was facing her.

"_Phone call_," Lucy signed.

"_Who_?"

"_Professor Park_."

"_Remember. What's up?"_

"_Things missing."_

Sue grimaced. This was not good.

"Appreciate the call, Professor. Thanks." Bobby looked grim as he hung up.

"What?" demanded Myles.

"I think our nebulous terrorist attack had just firmed up into very likely."

"What happened?" Sue asked. "Did they find chemicals missing?"

"Not chemicals…lab equipment."

"Lab equipment?"

"That's what the Professor said. According to a teaching assistant who is very particular about taking inventory, more items than usual are gone."

"Gone?" repeated Lucy.

"Disappeared...vanished….not there."

"We got your drift."

"Is there a list of what's missing?" D asked.

"It's being faxed over as we speak."

"You know," said Tara as a thought hit her, "I've been checking the credit card usage of El-Rashad and I couldn't find anything unusual in terms of purchases. Maybe he 'borrowed' the equipment so he wouldn't have to purchase them."

"Maybe he was hoping the university wouldn't notice the items were missing," said Jack extending Tara's idea.

"And if they did notice, El-Rashad was probably hoping the university would attribute the discrepancy in the inventory to normal breakage and wear and tear over the course of a semester," finished D.

"Got the fax," said Lucy waving the sheet of paper. She handed it to Bobby.

"So, what does this tell us?" asked Bobby as he scanned the list.

"There's enough stuff here to set up a mini-lab," Jack pointed out.

"How could they not know someone would notice?" Myles remarked. "The list of things missing covers the page!"

"It's like Jack said…they were hoping no one would notice," said Bobby.

"Thank goodness for that TA!" Tara said in appreciation.

"I'm taking this to the lab. Maybe one of the lab guys may have any idea on what can be done with this equipment," Bobby stated. "That might give us a clue on exactly what these suspected terrorists are planning to do."

----------

"Well, Carol, what do you think?" asked Bobby after giving the forensic specialist the list.

"What I think you don't want to hear," was the response.

Bobby and Sue glanced at each other. This was not good news.

"That bad, eh?"

"With this equipment, your suspects could manufacture any number of lethal chemicals."

"Or a bomb?"

"Possible."

"We were hoping you wouldn't say that," Sue commented.

"I could lie but that won't help here."

"No, it wouldn't," agreed Bobby. "Can you be more specific about what could be produced?"

"Nope. That being said, there are two bright spots if you can call them that."

"We'll take anything at this point."

"One, given the amount of equipment and the time frame you gave me, your suspects won't be able to manufacture whatever it is in bulk."

"Okay, that's a good point…I think," Sue said uncertainly.

Carol flashed a small smile. "It could be."

"And the second bright spot?"

"Unless the suspects have access to the right materials, the products they can manufacture are limited."

"Such as?"

"Ricin for one."

Sue's face paled as she remembered the last time a terrorist tried to use the same poison in an attack.

"That definitely doesn't make me feel any better."

Shooting Sue an understanding look, Bobby requested a list from Carol.

"Give me a minute," said Carol as she searched for paper to write on.

"This doesn't look good," said Sue as they waited. "Can we bring them in?"

"I'd prefer to wait until we can find the fourth member but we may not have a choice. If Christmas or the Eve is the target date, that doesn't leave us much time either," Bobby said grimly. "I hope you've finished your Christmas shopping."

"You were the last person on my list," she said lightly. "Hope you don't mind getting your present late."

"If we can stop these men I'll consider that my present."

"Here," said Carol holding out a sheet of paper to the two agents. "That's not a complete list by any means but the most likely ones." She shrugged. "Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"Au contraire, Carol," said Bobby gallantly, "you've been a big help. Thanks for this."

"Merry Christmas, Carol," said Sue.

"I hope it's a Merry Christmas for all of us."

----------


	4. Chapter 4

15

Mistletoe and Mayhem

Chapter 4

Bullpen

"Ricin…botulin. All Carol needed was to throw in an explosive or two to make this list complete," Myles remarked acerbically.

"Hey! It's not out of the realm of possibility," reminded D.

"Oh, great," Lucy said wryly, "it just keeps getting better and better."

"So, does this mean what I think it means?"

"Oh, no," Myles said in dismay, "I was really hoping…."

Bobby shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, mate."

The Bostonian bred agent already had his cell phone to his ear as he headed out the door. "Hello…Eli…"

"Did you hear that?" Lucy said pouncing on the two syllables she'd heard as he passed by. "Her name's Elizabeth!"

"Whose name is Elizabeth?" D asked.

"Myles' brunette!"

"How do you know that's her name?" demanded Tara.

"I heard him say 'Eli' as he was walking out the door. What other name could it be?"

"Elida, Ellen, Elissa," Jack spouted off, "Elena, Eliza."

"It was a short i."

"I stand corrected but you get my drift."

"Elizabeth would be the kind of name I'd expect a woman Myles would date to have," Tara ruminated.

There was a moment of silence.

Eyebrow raised, Jack looked at the perky blonde. "You know, I actually understood that."

"It was perfectly clear to me."

"Clear or not, Myles intends to keep his personal life private," D commented, "at least where this woman is concerned."

"Which is fine," Lucy agreed, "but, aren't you just a tiny bit curious what she's like?"

Tara's eyes widened as a thought struck her. "You think she's anything like Myles?"

"I hope not," declared Jack tapping the papers on his desk to neatly align them. "One Myles is more than enough."

Sue sipped her tea as she watched as the conversation bounce among her friends. They liked to tease the Harvard educated special agent but she knew they all hoped this mysterious brunette was deserving of his attention.

"Well, while Myles is taking care of his love life, what say we go back to work?" suggested Bobby. "We still have a terrorist or two to find. Anything? Anybody? Tara?"

"Nothing from SOG," Lucy shared.

"I'm still going through the cell phone records of the three men."

"Still?"

"It took longer than usual to process the requests _and_ get the necessary warrants with the holidays and budget cuts. Add the fact that there've been so many alleged threats this year that I think people don't feel the same sense of urgency."

"Well, all it'll take is one little terrorist bringing down a plane or building to change people's minds and restore that sense of urgency to expedite such warrants promptly," Myles commented pointedly rejoining the group.

"Well, it's our job to see that that _doesn't_ happen," D reminded.

"I didn't say I didn't find anything," Tara interjected. Expectant faces turned towards her.

"What I did find out was that all three men have contacted each other with the calls becoming more frequent in the past two weeks."

"Conspiring?" Bobby guessed.

"Conniving, plotting, scheming, " threw in Myles as he joined the group. "No matter what you call it, from the looks of things it doesn't bode well for us."

"I don't know about conspiring but there sure was a whole of talking," said Tara.

"Next step?" asked Jack.

"Get inside El-Rashad's apartment," Bobby answered promptly. "We need to find out what's in there." He looked up and grinned at his teammate. "Phone or cable?"

"Cable definitely. He's young. He probably won't have a landline but he will have cable TV."

"You've got a point there, mate. C'mon, Jack, let's…"

"No," D stated peremptorily. The two men halted in their tracks.

"What?"

"You can't go, Bobby."

"Why not? I'm the lead agent. My case, my decision."

"Normally I wouldn't argue with you but think…what if Nabeel Salih _is_ one of the suspects and he's there? He might recognize you. I'll go with Jack."

"It was a momentary meeting," he argued, "he won't remember me."

"Can't take the chance."

"He's right, Bobby," Jack agreed.

"All right," the Aussie capitulated reluctantly. "That must be why you're the supervisor and we're not."

Dimitrius just smirked.

"Hey, if you're looking for something to do, we just got the latest batch of surveillance photographs," piped up Tara holding a packet. "You can take a little drive…"

"Say no more, Tara," Bobby answered as he reached for his coat. "Sue?"

"Coming."

Suspect's apartment building

"Should be on the right," Jack uttered as they reached the second floor. Appropriately dressed in coveralls, the pair stopped in front of apartment 210. Suddenly, he motioned to his partner to be quiet.

"Someone's in there." Both men could hear someone moving about. "You ready back there, Myles?" he checked quietly speaking into his transmitter.

"_Ready_."

Jack gave the nod to proceed. D rapped on the door.

"Hello…cable repair," he called out.

Silence greeted the pair. They eyed each other straining to hear anything for a few seconds. Nothing. Jack jerked his head towards the door. Understanding, D knocked again.

"Hello? We're from the cable company. We're here to fix the problem with the hook-up."

Silence greeted them.

"Looks like whoever's in there doesn't want to come to the door," Jack remarked.

D tried once more but there was still no response. A door down the hall opened and a grey head popped out.

"You the one making all the noise?" barked the elderly gentleman.

"Sorry," Jack apologized politely. "

D pretended to look at the work order, "Is this Hakkim El-Rashad's apartment? We're supposed to check out the cable problem in his unit."

"Yeah, it is."

"We thought we heard someone in there but no one's answering."

"Maybe he's too sick to come to the door."

"Sick? What makes you think he's sick?"

"Didn't look so good the last time I saw him. Looked pale. Maybe it's that flu going around."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"A couple days ago."

"Maybe he needs a doctor. Is there a building superintendent who could open the door?"

The old man snorted. "Good luck on finding the guy!"

"Well, thanks for your help," D acknowledged. "We'll have our service center reschedule the appointment."

The two agents could feel the eyes of the neighbor as they walked down the hall and disappeared down the steps.

"Looks like that was a bust," commented D as they stowed their gear in the truck.

"Maybe not," Jack responded thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"If El-Rashad _is_ sick, maybe whatever concoction they brewed backfired."

"So we'll have a bunch of terrorists poisoned by their own hand?"

"We can hope, can't we?"

"I hope Jack and D had better luck than we did," Bobby commented as he and Sue headed towards the bullpen. Their meeting with Julia had not been productive at all. She hadn't recognized any of the photographs.

"I hope so, too. That deadline is right around the corner."

The pair halted in the doorway when they spotted the rest of the team deep in discussion. Interested eyes noted the position of the couple. Perfect! thought the onlooker. Gathering breath to set the plan in motion, Bobby moved into the room spoiling the opportunity.

"What's up?" the tall agent threw out. "Good news, I hope."

"No answer at El-Rashad's place," Jack responded. "At least, no one answered the door."

"You think someone was inside?" Sue asked.

"I heard something."

"Maybe El-Rashad has a cat."

"I don't think that was it."

"Then what?"

"I don't know but a neighbor said he saw the suspect a couple of days ago. Thought maybe he looked sick. Hasn't seen him since," D supplied.

"Sick," Bobby repeated thoughtfully. "Or something worse?"

"We won't know until we bring him in," D shrugged noncommittally.

"Well, if these are the guys, why don't we bring them in for questioning now?" Lucy spoke up. "Or late tomorrow? Doesn't the Patriot Act allow us to hold them up to seven days? That would take us 'way past the Christmas Eve deadline."

"When we pick them up isn't the problem, Luce. The fourth man is still out there unidentified. He could still carry out whatever they've planned," Bobby pointed out.

"Or when they get out, they could decide to lie low for a while and change the date and place," Jack added.

"Well, I have something that might help us find that fourth person," Tara announced gazing at her computer screen.

"What?" Bobby asked hopefully.

"I took a look at the phone calls the three suspected terrorists made this past week and cross checked them. This number appeared seventeen times in that time period."

The tech specialist pressed a key and a list of numbers appeared. One set was highlighted multiple times.

"Is there a name to go with that number?"

"Not only a name but a face, too," The image flashed on the screen. "Aaziq Massoud. He's here on a student visa."

"Isaac Ma…?" queried Sue.

"_A-a-z-i-q M-a-s-s-o-u-d_," finger spelled Tara. "And get this…he's a graduate student at George Mason."

Bobby snapped his fingers and pointed to Tara. "There's the connection!" he said excitedly. "We need more info on him."

"I've already put in the request to get a look at his school records."

"We'll also need a copy of his photo to show Julia."

"It'll just take a mo…"

"Hi!"

"Stanley!" Tara's head jerked up at the sound of the familiar voice. "What are you… Is it…I forgot….I meant to….we're….I thought you were going to call when you came in," she finished lamely.

"There was a cab right there so I thought what the heck," he smiled, "I'll just save you the trouble of coming to pick me up." He looked around. "But it seems I've come at an inconvenient time."

D reached out to shake the cryptographer's hand. "You know we're always glad to see you but your timing couldn't be worse."

Stanley raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"We're right in the middle of a case. Possible terrorist attack on Christmas Eve," Tara explained apologetically. "Sorry I didn't call but we're going 24/7."

Disappointed at the turn of events, he nodded in resignation. Suddenly, his face brightened. "Maybe….maybe you could use another pair of hands…or eyes?" he volunteered hopefully.

"You can't do that," Lucy protested. "You're here on vacation."

"No, I'm here to spend time with Tara," Stanley corrected. "She's here, I'm here. Mission accomplished."

Tara colored faintly. "D?"

"Fine by me. I'll put in a call to your supervisor to have you temporarily assigned to our team. You can save some of that vacation time."

"Thanks for your help, mate," Bobby said warmly. "Maybe now we can solve the case in time for a Merry Christmas for everyone…especially you and Tara."

"I don't about that but I'll do my best," Stanley said modestly.

"We know, Stanley, and we appreciate it."

"Okay, where shall I start?"

"Right next to Tara."

"No place I'd rather be," he smiled, "except maybe…" He paused a little flustered and looked at Tara. "Maybe I should talk in code now."

"I think maybe we should get to work," she said firmly.

"Right."

"Tara?"

"Yeah?"

"That photo?"

"Oh! Right," responded the flustered blonde. She leaned over and handed a sheet to the tall Aussie. "Aaziq Massoud."

"Thanks."

"Maybe it _will_ be a Merry Christmas for everyone after all," smiled Bobby as they walked to the bullpen with renewed energy. His informant had positively identified Aaziq Massoud as the fourth man in the group.

"What" Weary from the long day and limited sleep, Sue had trouble focusing.

Bobby stopped and placed his hands on her shoulders for a good look.

"What?" she repeated.

He noted signs of fatigue on the pretty blonde. "I said," he began clearly, " _perhaps it will be a Merry Christmas for everyone,"_ he ended signing.

"Oh. I hope so."

"_And you need some sleep_."

"I'm fine."

"_No, you're not. Your gorgeous green eyes look like they could use a couple of hours of sleep_," he signed his facial expression stern.

"Thanks for the compliment but…"

"_No._ _I'm the lead agent. What I say goes and I say you sleep. All you say is, 'Yes, Bobby."_

"Yes, Bobby," she said meekly.

He cast a suspicious look. "Are you mocking me, Miss Thomas?"

"Of course not! I'd never do that to the lead agent!" she protested. "Or do you want me to call you O' Mighty Leader instead?" The twinkle in her eyes gave her away.

Bubbling with laughter, he threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze as they continued their brief walk to the office.

"Bobby will be fine," he smiled as he looked into those very eyes. They really _are_ gorgeous, he thought, warm with little flecks of gold dancing in the light. If eyes were the windows to one's soul, then Sue's must be breathtaking. Startled at the fanciful turn of his thoughts, he abruptly dropped his arm.

"Bobby?"

"Uh…here we are," he announced at the doorway. "Don't forget to take a nap. You deserve it."

"Thanks."

Rounding the corner, keen eyes spotted the pair coming down the hall. Quickly reversing a step or two, the observer noted the slightly dazed look on the tall Aussie and the one of concern on the slender blonde. What have we here? the interested party mused.

"Where'd everyone go?" Bobby asked as he began shrugging out of his thick jacket. Only Jack and Lucy were there. "Taking a break?"

Lucy approached them tentatively.

"Jillian Dubois just called."

"Yea?"

He'd just pulled one arm out when he stopped in mid-motion at the sight of the grave expression on the Rotor. Throwing a look at his partner, he slowly pulled off the other sleeve.

"What's up, Luce?" Bobby asked bracing himself for the news.

"Someone matching the photo of Aaziq Massoud left the building about an hour ago carrying a package. They don't know where he went."

"What! How did this happen?" he demanded. "Didn't they get a copy of the photo?"

"We sent it too late."

"Damn!"

Hand on hip, Bobby ran an agitated hand through his hair his mind going a mile a minute trying to plan the next step.

"What have we here? Why the glum faces?" Myles tossed out as he entered the room with Tara close behind.

"Massoud left the building and we don't know where he went," Jack informed them.

"How did…"

"Address…do we have an address on him?" Bobby broke in.

"We do." Tara hopped on her computer and punched in a few keys. She scribbled it on a sheet of paper.

"Contact Metro police and see if they can do a drive by. Better yet, ask if they could make up some excuse to see if he's in there. In the meantime, we'll need warrants to bring in the others."

Jack grabbed his coat. "C'mon, Myles. Let's go. It may take us a while to get those warrants at this time of night."

"No kidding." The two men disappeared through the doorway.

"Lucy, check with Jillian and see if she knows how Massoud left—car, taxi—and in which direction he was headed. We may be grasping at straws but who know? It might help."

"On it."

"Tara, see if Massoud has a car and if he does, we'll need his license number. Maybe we'll be able to find him that way."

"Right."

"What can I do?" Sue asked her fatigue forgotten.

He chucked his jacket in the direction of his desk and turned. "Pray." He headed straight to the coffee station. No sleep tonight, he thought grimly as he poured a cup of the steaming brew.

"I do that every day," a soft voice remarked.

"Do what?"

"Pray."

Blue-grey eyes looked over the rim of the cup.

"You're supposed to take a nap."

"I will…after we've caught the terrorists."

"I appreciate the positive thought but it doesn't seem likely at this point."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

"Just facing the facts, Miss Thomas. Unless a miracle happens, I may have botched the whole case."

"Sometimes miracles do happen."

"Not often enough."

"You have to believe even when it flies in the face of all the facts."

"I…"

"Bobby?"

"Yea, Luce?"

"Massoud went west. Does that help?"

"I don't know."

"So, what can I do?" Sue repeated.

"Let's go over the notes we have on the case. Maybe we'll find something."

Few hours later

December 23

"On the count of three," Myles quietly informed the members of the assault team clad in protective clothing. Nods confirmed their readiness. "One, two, three!"

Men burst through the door of El-Rashad's apartment guns cocked and prepared to fire at the first provocation. Two men immediately went to the lab equipment set up against the farthest wall while the others fanned out to secure the area.

"Clear!" voices called out.

Jack paused on the threshold of the bedroom. There lay El-Rashad drenched in perspiration obvious ill. Glazed eyes attempted to focus.

"Help," he whimpered.

"Myles! In here!" Jack beckoned urgently.

The older agent promptly approached his teammate.

"Wha…"

"Look."

El-Rashad lay on the bed drenched in perspiration his face etched with obvious signs of illness.

"Poisoned by his own hand?"

"That would be poetic justice."

Later

Hospital

"Here," announced Sue holding out a steaming cup.

"Thanks," Jack replied gratefully. He took a sip and made a face.

"At least it's hot," Sue remarked. "The cafeteria isn't open yet."

"This'll do."

"How much longer?"

More than an hour had passed since the two FBI agents had seen El-Rashad wheeled into the emergency room.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

As though by magic, the attending physician suddenly appeared walking towards them.

"How is he, Doc?" asked Jack.

"Not good. We've got him stabilized for now."

"For now? You mean he could die? How much exposure did he have to the toxin?"

"He hasn't been poisoned."

"He hasn't?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" Sue chimed in.

"He has the flu…the H1N1 flu and it doesn't look goood."

Later still

Bullpen

"That was the hospital," Lucy announced as she hung up the phone.

Tired faces turned expectantly toward her.

"El-Rashad died a few minutes ago."

A sense of deflation tinged with worry spread through the room. Now, there was one less suspect to question…one less potential lead. Salih and Nazir had been brought in for questioning but had refused to speak. Massoud had disappeared despite their efforts to find him.

"Somebody's gotta tell Bobby," D said.

"Anybody kn…" began Jack.

"I'll go," Sue cut in standing up. "I think I know where he went."

Eyes followed her as she left the room and lingered on the piece of greenery hanging in the doorway. Would there be time for it to work its magic?

There was something he was overlooking…some clue he hadn't pursued, thought Bobby as he sat in his favorite spot in the stairwell. He could feel it in his gut that there was some bit of knowledge he knew he knew but what was it?

"Bobby?"

His eyes flew open at the sound of the soft voice.

"Yeah?"

"The hospital called."

He waited his stomach tightening at the look on her face.

"El-Rashad died."

Whack! The stairwell rang with the sound of his hand slapping against wall. He stood up towering over Sue. "Blast! It's my fault! If only I'd brought them in earlier we might've gotten a confession from him!" He clattered down a few steps.

"You don't know that."

He stopped and whirled around frustration evident on his face. "I do know I didn't do enough. El-Rashad's dead and Massoud slipped through our fingers. I'm the lead agent. I take the blame and it's my fault that thousands of people will die because I didn't act quickly enough. Wes must be rolling in his grave!"

"It hasn't happened yet. There's still time. We'll find Massoud."

"I'm not too sure about that."

"I am."

He stared at her wondering how she could be so optimistic. "How can you…"

"I believe in you, Bobby."

Her unwavering gaze held his eyes and with each passing second he could feel his faltering confidence build itself up bit by bit. He took a deep breath and gathered her hand in his.

"I'll do my best but it wouldn't hurt to have a little divine help."

"He'll do His best, too."

A/N: Thanks to all the people who have reviewed (authors thrive on feedback!) and those who have put this story on their favorites' list. Only two more chapters to go!


	5. Chapter 5

7

Mistletoe and Mayhem

Chapter 5

Dimitrius felt the tension as soon as he stepped through the doorway but he had to ask, "Anything?"

Weary faces looked up from notes and heads slowly shook.

"No sign of Massoud. He's hiding somewhere," Jack spoke up discouraged.

"And hiding very well," Myles commented. "It's as though he's disappeared from the face of the earth."

"There's nothing in these…"

"Bobby?" Sue spoke up unaware of the conversation around her. "Oh! Was I interrupting something? I didn't…"

"Not a problem," he assured her. "You were saying?"

"Um…I've been going over the first meeting with Julia. Remember she said she heard two names?"

Blue-grey eyes flicked upwards trying to recall the information. "Yea. Hakkim and another name."

"Peter. The other name was Peter."

"That's right. I'd forgotten that."

"We know Hakkim was El-Rashad."

"Where are you going with this?" Myles asked in annoyance.

Bobby glared in exasperation. "Go on."

"Julia thought one of the other men was named Peter but none of them are…named Peter I mean," she rushed to clarify.

"You have an idea?"

"I do. What if…what if Peter isn't the name of a person but the name of a place…a building?"

Some of the discouragement faded from his countenance at this new idea. "You have a place in mind?"

"I've been doing some research and found a place that might fit."

He looked at her the question plain in his expression.

"The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul."

He frowned. "Never heard of it."

"It's more commonly known as Washington National Cathedral."

"Oh my God!" Lucy whispered in shocked surprise.

"The President and his family are expected to attend the special nine o'clock service tomorrow night," Bobby shared slowly as he digested the information.

"And what could be more high profile than killing the President of the United States and his family!" declared Myles his frustration evaporating.

"That's it, Sue, that's it!" Bobby said with growing confidence as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "The place of religious significance…the name Peter…something big to make a statement…it all fits!" He wheeled his chair over in glee, jumped up and pulled Sue up for an exuberant hug with Levi barking at the excitement.

"Orders?" Jack offered eagerly.

"Hang on, Sparky. Give me a mo'."

Head lowered, hands on hips, seconds ticked by as Bobby methodically visualized the best utilizations of their resources in the limited time they had.

"All right," he said looking up, "if the terrorists have developed any type of airborne toxin, Massoud will want to be as close as possible to the air vents to spread the gas. Jack, I want a team gathered in one hour to search the Cathedral focusing on the ventilation system to make sure he hasn't planted it already. Myles, we'll need the blueprints of the Cathedral focusing on the ventilation system. Lucy, contact the Secret Service and inform them of what we suspect. See if there's any way the President can be persuaded to change his plans. Barring that, find out where they're sitting, who else is going and get the seating arrangements. Tara, check with the Cathedral office and see if they have security cameras. We'll need to view any recordings for the past week for signs of Massoud or any of the other men."

"What about me?" Sue asked as the team scrambled around her.

"You can take the rest of the \day off. You've given us our miracle!"

Christmas Eve

Early evening

Washington National Cathedral

"I just talked to your people, Bennett," Bobby explained with a touch of exasperation. "Everything's in place. We've got agents coming in and out throughout the evening. Everyone knows what Massoud looks like. As soon as we spot him, we'll move. Any earlier and we'll spook the bloke. We're waiting for your man. I understand, Bennett. He's our President, too. Out."

Bobby gave Sue and Tara a look.

"I take it the head of the Secret Service detail is a little nervous," Sue commented mildly.

"That…is an understatement."

An all night meeting with the Secret Service and local law enforcement had resulted in a plan to protect the President and apprehend the terrorist. Agents were strategically scattered throughout the Cathedral with unobtrusively placed security cameras providing extra eyes. Tara and Sue scanned the monitors looking for their target while Bobby directed the operations from a van camouflaged as one of the TV station vehicles.

"It would've have been far simpler if the President had decided not to attend," the tall agent commented with a sigh.

"We tried," Tara put in, "but you know the President."

"He won't give in to terrorists."

"I think it's because he has faith in us," Sue said with a small smile.

"Well, I, for one, do not intend to let him down," Bobby declared.

Sue signed, "_Me, too!" _whileTara chimed in_, _"Make that three!"

Knocking interrupted the conversation. Bobby peered out then opened the door.

"Hey, Ridgeway!" he greeted. "Bennett sent you? Couldn't he find a larger bloke?"

The former linebacker dwarfed the van's interior.

"He sent the best man he's got!" the big man said cheerfully. "Hi, Tara!"

"Cal," smiled Tara risking a brief glance his way before her eyes returned to scan the monitors. "I don't think you've met Sue. Sue, this is Cal Ridgeway."

"The ladies all call me Cal," he smiled gallantly reaching for her hand.

"We won't tell you what the men call him," bantered Bobby.

"I think I'll stick with Cal," Sue decided.

"Now that the pleasantries are over, shall we go over the reason why you're here in the first place?" Bobby asked.

"You're the boss!"

Sue looked over at the two men in deep discussion. "He seems a little…large."

Tara flashed a grin. "He may not look like it but he's one of the Secret Service's best surveillance experts."

"The Secret Service doesn't trust us?"

"Not when it concerns the President."

Later - 1900

Myles scanned the church's interior then casually sauntered to a strategic spot close to one of the air vents. Pretending to rub his ear, he asked quietly into his transmitter, "Sam 33. No sign of Massoud."

"Noted," Tara responded, "keep your eyes open." Other agents continued reporting in as the hour of the Presidential arrival drew closer.

"The place is beginning to fill up," Ridgeway noted. "You sure this _is_ the place?"

"I certainly hope so or I'll be looking for another job," Bobby responded.

"You won't be the only one."

"Sixty minutes to go, Bobby," Sue spoke up.

"Noted."

With furrowed brow, his eyes darted from monitor to monitor. Always a well-attended gathering, the Cathedral had attracted more people than usual with the promise of a presidential appearance. The trickle at the metal detector gates became a steady stream as the hour of the special Christmas Eve service drew nearer. Were their preparations enough?

Later – 2015

"Forty-five minutes," announced Sue.

Bobby maintained a calm exterior despite the mounting tension. Only the intermittent drumming of his slender fingers gave away his nervousness.

"I'm missing something," he muttered more to himself.

"You said something?" Tara asked.

"Do a check."

Nodding, she began contacting agents to ensure their transmitters were working properly.

I'm missing something, Bobby thought grimly, but what? What am I missing? There's something I…

"Tara!" he exclaimed the moment the light exploded in his brain

"Yeah?"

"Put up Massoud's picture," he ordered urgently.

"Why…"

"Do it."

"Got something?" Ridgeway asked with calm detachment still focused on the monitors.

"Perhaps the missing piece."

Massoud's photo appeared on the laptop.

"Can you eliminate his beard?"

"Sure."

"Oh. My. God." Ridgeway's low voice rumbled. "You think…"

"I do," Bobby replied grimly. "If he's a devout Muslim on a suicide mission, he'll be clean shaven. Maybe that's why we haven't been able to spot him. Tara?"

"Give me another few seconds," she replied absent-mindedly at she continued pecking away at the keyboard. "There!"

Bobby leaned over and pointed at the altered face. "Yes! That's who we should be looking for! Tara, notify all agents to be on the look out for a clean-shaven Massoud. Send the image to their cells if you can. He could be in there right now! Cal, Sue…eyes forward. Let's hope we can spot him in the crowd."

Nodding their understanding, everyone turned to the monitors hoping to find the terrorist before he could implement his plan. Tense minutes crawled by as they scanned the sea of faces broadcasted by the different cameras.

"Where or where can our terrorist be?" Ridgeway murmured examining the images on his screens closely.

So many faces! thought Sue biting her lower lip in concentration. Where could he…. "There! Bobby! He's there!" she shouted distinctly.

Immediately the lead agent bent over to peer at her monitor.

"Sam 33, target has been located four rows in front of you," he said quietly. "He's wearing a black jacket."

"Moving to get a better view," Myles reported standing up. He caught the eye of a Secret Service agent and discreetly nodded in the direction of the target. Dimitrius began moving towards the target as well.

Senses on overdrive waiting for the moment of the cell's crowning achievement, Massoud noted the movement of the men in his direction. Throwing caution to the wind, he reacted swiftly.

"Bobby! He's reaching into his pocket!"

"He's making a move! Repeat…target is making a move! Stop him!"

Determined to inflict as much harm as possible Massoud held up the small glass container. He cocked back his arm and shouted, "Death to infidels!" as he flung the bottle towards the nearest air vent.

The van's occupants looked on in horror as the green container arced towards the wall while agents scrambled to contain the situation. Suddenly, Myles appeared arm outstretched his leap fueled by desperation. And just as suddenly, he disappeared from the screen.

"Sam 33, report!" commanded Bobby tersely. "I repeat, Sam 33, report!" There was a long moment of silence.

"He got it," a relieved Dimitrius answered. "Myles, caught the bottle. Everything's is fine." He looked down at his teammate lying on the floor embracing the poisonous vessel gingerly. "Great catch, Myles," he praised.

A sardonic smile appeared. "Maybe now I can be the receiver in our next football game?"

"You got it."

A/N: Okay…here's the climax. Hope you all enjoyed the hero of the moment. Again, thank you for the feedback. Would love to hear from everyone who's been reading along. It's very exciting to see all the favorite story/author alerts as well as all the readers from different countries. I feel…awed.

One more chapter to go to tidy up all the loose ends.


	6. Chapter 6

12

Mistletoe and Mayhem

Chapter 6

Christmas Eve, 8:50 pm

Hoover Building

A small crowd gathered in front of the television monitor watched the unfolding scene with interest.

"_This a shot of the President and his family entering Washington National Cathedral as scheduled," _the correspondent smoothly reported_. " Earlier, an unidentified man attempted to disrupt this special Christmas Eve service. Thanks to the Secret Service and FBI, the agents were able to quickly subdue the person and have him taken away for questioning by the local authorities."_

"Thanks to the Secret Service?" Lucy parroted in disbelief. "We do all the work and the Secret Service gets top billing? Where's Bobby? Is he still being debriefed? He needs to protest the kind of coverage we're getting!"

"Well, at least this time we _got_ credit," Sue pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Right," agreed Dimitrius, "and Lucy, let's not forget the big picture."

"And that is?"

"It's not important _who_ got the job done, just that it _was_ done."

"Well, I guess since it was POTUS and his family…okay…this time."

"Good."

"And let us not forget the person responsible for saving the day," added Jack, "…our very own FBI Special Agent Myles Leland the Third. That was, without a doubt, a catch worthy of Santonio Holmes."

"Let's hear it for Myles!" cheered Tara grabbing her friend's arm and raising high.

"Ouch!" grumbled Myles clutching the aching part of his body. "Go easy there!"

Instantly she dropped the appendage like a hot potato. "Sorry!"

"Who's Santonio Holmes?" Sue piped up.

"The guy who caught the winning touchdown in last year's Superbowl. Great catch." Jack leaned over to answer.

"Oh."

"I think I might have re-injured that old football injury," complained Myles.

"Shall I get some ice?" Tara offered guiltily.

"Wait!" said Lucy skeptically. "What football injury? You didn't play football in college. You played tennis."

"Did I say it was from college? I did not. I suffered this injury from our last battle for Myrtle's girdle against the DEA…a most memorable event where we won."

"Oh, right….the one where you ran into the goalpost trying to catch the ball." She peered at him critically. "Not one of your most dazzling moves."

"Perhaps not but this should make up for it, shouldn't it? It was a splendid catch, if I do say so myself," the Boston bred agent preened a bit his sore shoulder forgotten.

"Yes, Myles, it was," Jack humored his teammate whacking his friend on the back.

"Ow!"

"Hey! Wasn't that the time that DEA agent was making a move on Sue?" Tara brought up.

"That's right," Myles chimed in. "Maybe he's the one Thomas should have kissed under the mistletoe."

Interested eyes immediately swiveled to the suddenly self-conscious blonde.

"I think Levi wants to take a walk," Sue spoke up taking out his leash. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Perhaps there's still time to get him to come here," Myles teased.

"Since apparently none of the people here are _the_ couple," Lucy grieved. She was always up for romance.

"Well, I think…" began Tara.

"Hi!"

"Stanley!" Tara's head jerked up at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Perhaps I spoke too soon," Lucy murmured to Jack.

"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot…we were so busy…I meant to…I am so sorry!" Tara apologized profusely aghast at her forgetfulness.

"Not a problem. When you weren't at the airport to pick me up I tried calling a few times but you didn't answer so I thought you might be busy with a case so I decided to take a cab here and wait. And here you are!" the cryptographer beamed.

"We had a little excitement," D answered extending his hand "Good to see you, Stanley."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"It's been taken care of."

"Good." He scanned the bullpen. "Aren't you missing…"

"Bobby's being debriefed, Sue's letting Levi stretch his legs," Lucy filled in. "He's been cooped up for a few hours."

"I totally sympathize…even though I'm not a dog. You know, I don't like being cooped up for too long myself."

"I know what you mean," Jack commiserated.

Stanley looked at Tara. "If you're ready…"

"Sure…that is…" She looked uncertainly around the little group.

"Get outta here!" D smiled jerking his head towards the door. "There's nothing here that can't wait until the day after Christmas."

"All right." Tara happily accepted her supervisor's okay.

"Let me help you with that," Stanley offered reaching for her coat.

She tossed him a sweet smile over her shoulder as she slipped an arm through a sleeve. It warmed him to his very toes. She was just so adorable! he thought. It took all his self-control not to kiss her.

"Ready?"

"Uh-huh," she answered. "Merry Christmas, everybody!"

"Hey, Tara!" called out Jack stopping the couple in their tracks.

"Yeah?"

"You forgot something."

"What?"

The dark-haired agent pointed meaningfully to the piece of greenery overhead. The pair looked up.

"Oh!" She looked at Stanley. "I know what you're thinking but it's not what you're thinking and you don't have to do it. It's just this silly little thing someone's been…."

All words stopped when Stanley swooped in, bent his lady love over his arm and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Jaws dropped at the surprising action of the steganographer.

"Wow! I mean…wow!" a flustered Tara responded.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Stanley beamed as he wrapped his arm around Tara.

She wiggled her fingers her eyes never leaving her boyfriend's face.

"Well…that was totally unexpected," commented a taken aback Lucy.

"Unexpected but it does keep the Mistletoe Fairy's record intact for all intents and purposes," Jack reminded.

"I wonder…" began Lucy.

His expression begged her to complete her thought.

"…does it really count as another romance for the Mistletoe Fairy just because they kissed under the mistletoe and they are going on a date. Or…maybe it…"

"…doesn't because our enchanted couple were dating even before they kissed under the mistletoe which would technically mean kissing under the mistletoe didn't cause a new romance but is sustaining a continuing one," Myles chimed in.

The Rotor made a face. "I don't know how you do it, Myles."

"Do what?"

"Drain all the fun out of a harmless little joke."

"It's a gift."

"Is that what you call it?" 

Elevator

"Still here?" the other man asked in surprise when Bobby stepped into the elevator.

"Debriefing. You?"

"Pulled the short straw."

"Pity."

The agent shrugged. "By the way, good job." News of the team's success had spread through the building even with the down-sized holiday staffing.

"Thanks, mate."

"Going home?"

"Soon." The doors opened.

"Merry Christmas, Bobby."

"Merry Christmas, Chuck."

He'd leave as soon as he jotted down some notes, Bobby planned as he walked down the deserted corridor. Jack had invited him to spend the holiday with Billy and him and so had D, but all he wanted was a quiet day at home. He was exhausted.

"Levi!" he exclaimed when the stairwell door on his right suddenly opened. The Golden Retriever bounded out to greet his friend.

"Sorry," Sue apologized.

"Don't. We should all be greeted by our friends with such enthusiasm," Bobby declared as he scratched behind the animal's ears.

"How was the briefing?"

"Fine. The fact that we have the entire cell in custody and stopped the attack certainly helped."

"Always a plus."

"It certainly is." They walked a few steps in the quiet corridor. "Special plans for Christmas?"

"Lucy invited me to her mom's but I think a nice long bubble bath and ten hours of sleep sound a whole lot better. You?"

"Great minds must think alike." He flashed a brief dazzling smile. "Except for the bubble bath. Real men take long showers."

"And here I thought you'd like the strawberry scented bubble bath I got for you," she teased.

"Strawberry, eh? I might try to dri…Tara! Stanley!" greeted Bobby noting the glowing expressions on his friends' faces. "What have we here? Off to start your holiday, are we?"

"Yeah, we are. See you on Tuesday," Tara replied breathlessly as Stanley shook hands with the Aussie agent. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

"_Merry Christmas_!" signed Sue.

"They look happy," Bobby commented.

Sue made a gesture.

"What was that?"

"They're in love." She repeated the sign.

"But definitely! Say, we just passed Tara and Stanley in the hallway," Bobby remarked as they entered the bullpen. "They looked positively glowing with Christmas cheer."

"You missed it," Jack reported.

"Missed what?" Bobby stopped in his tracks.

"The kiss!"

"What kiss?" demanded Sue.

"Tara and Stanley!" Lucy said excitedly. "The Mistletoe Fairy did it again!"

"Tara and Stan the Man?" Bobby interjected skeptically. "They're already a couple. It doesn't count."

"Of course it does!"

"No, it has to be a _new_ couple."

"Says who?"

"People, people…," Myles said in a placating tone. "Potatoes poh-tahtoes tomatoes toh-mahtoes. A romance is a romance is a romance. Give the ol' girl the credit."

"Yeah, after _that_ kiss, they're a _couple_!" Lucy answered enthusiastically.

"So…what happened?" Sue asked curiously.

"As our happy couple was leaving, Jack here pointed out the sprig of greenery purportedly placed on our doorway by the mysterious Mistletoe Fairy," began Myles, "and while Tara was dithering…."

"…Stanley took her in his arms and gave her this totally ro-mantic kiss!" Lucy gushed. "Just like in the movies!"

"I didn't think the bloke had it in him! Good one!"

"Good for Tara, you mean!" snorted Jack. "In fact, I wouldn't be…"

"People," interrupted D, "while this may be a fascinating subject, this is Christmas Eve or at least it will be for the next two hours and twenty-seven…no, twenty-six minutes and I'd like to spend it with my family so I'm going home and I suggest you do the same," he recommended reaching for his coat.

"Now that's an order I can follow," Lucy said. She began to clear her desk.

"What are you doing, Bobby?" asked Sue as the tall Aussie fiddled with the green and white sprig of mistletoe over the doorway.

"I thought Myles might need this with his beautiful brunette."

"Ha! Ha!" the Boston-bred agent said wryly. "I don't need a piece of parasitic greenery to entice a woman to kiss me. I have my natural charm. You, however…"

Bobby stopped in mid-motion. "What?"

"I have an idea."

"What?"

Myles' gaze flicked toward the woman standing next to the younger man.

"You…Sue…mistletoe. Need I say more?"

Sue missed the Harvard graduate's comment but noticed the other team members looking at her then Bobby.

"Did I miss something?"

For a moment, Bobby was taken aback at the suggestion then a twinkle appeared in his blue-grey eyes.

"Myles here is suggesting we give the Mistletoe Fairy a last chance to work her magic before the witching hour," Bobby joked lightly.

"I think he has his holidays mixed up," Lucy murmured to Jack who looked on in stunned surprise.

"Yeah," he mumbled his gaze transfixed on the pair.

An answering sparkle gleamed in her eyes. It would be fun to turn Myles' obvious attempt at a practical joke upside down. "Why not?" she answered demurely.

Smiling, Bobby grasped her shoulders, bent down to kiss her and then…

Lucy's jaw dropped.

D stopped in mid-step.

Myles looked on in smug satisfaction.

Jack stared in shock at the unexpected reaction of his two friends under the mistletoe. Reaction? It was combustion! He could swear he could see fireworks sparkling above their heads. Bobby and Sue?

Heartbeats later when oxygen became necessary, two heads drew apart. Blue-grey eyes were riveted on dark green ones at the most unexpected result of an innocent tradition.

"The Mistletoe Fairy does it again," murmured Myles as he shrugged on his camelhair coat.

"How did she know?" Lucy asked in stunned surprise.

"Ours is not to reason how. Ours is to believe it now," the Harvard educated agent paraphrased tongue-in-cheek.

"And I think this is my cue to leave. What I don't see, I don't know," D spoke up referring to the no-dating rule.

"You got a point there," Lucy agreed. "Plausible deniability." She turned to the agent next to her. "Jack…"

The dark-haired agent dimly heard the words as he processed what he was seeing. Bobby and Sue? From the expressions on their faces he wasn't the only one surprised by that kiss. It was obvious his best friend and Sue had been touched by the magic of the Mistletoe Fairy.

"Jack?" Lucy repeated concern evident in her voice and face. "Are you all right?"

He blinked as Lucy's query finally registered in his chaotic thoughts. "What?"

"Are you all right?"

"Uh…yeah. Just thinking…"

"About…?"

"Things," he responded vaguely.

"Things."

"Yeah."

Lucy looked thoughtfully at Jack. A myriad of emotions were crossing his face—disbelief…confusion…regret. She waited. He might need a shoulder…or an ear.

Bobby and Sue. It would take some time to get used to the idea but he could…if that's what his friends wanted. It wasn't as though he had any claim on her. He lost his chance because he hadn't…couldn't commit himself. He didn't know if he'd ever be ready. It didn't look like that would be a problem with Bobby. His expression alone spoke volumes.

With a sad little sigh Jack flashed a brief smile at the waiting Rotor. "C'mon. I'll walk you to your car."

"Should we…?" She tilted her head in the direction of the doorway.

"No," Jack said firmly as he grabbed Lucy's elbow. "I think they have other things on their mind." With one last look at the pair under the mistletoe, they left.

"I think everyone's leaving," Bobby commented absent-mindedly.

"What?"

"I think everyone's leaving." Long slender fingers gently framed her face as her hands rested lightly on his.

"They are?" She was still in a daze trying to absorb the wonder of what had just happened.

"Mmm. Sue?"

"Uh-huh?"

"That Mistletoe Fairy?"

"What about her?"

"How did she know when we didn't?"

"She's magic."

"And so are you."

"Oh, Bobby!"

"Shall we?"

She nodded in breathless anticipation. His gaze caressed her features as he closed the gap between them.

A dark blue Mercedes pulled up in front of the Hoover Building. A tall man in a light colored coat opened the passenger door and slipped in.

"Joyeaux Noel!" the beautiful brunette warmly welcomed.

"Joyeaux Noel," he smiled leaning over to give the driver a quick kiss. "You got here quickly."

"No traffic. It seems everyone's at home…where we should be, too."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Ready?"

"Definitely."

"Everything okay?"

"Definitely."

"Care to share?"

"Let's just say we did our job."

"Always a good thing."

"Yes, it is."

The woman competently drove while Myles relaxed in the coziness of the car. She cast a loving glance at the man beside her. It was serendipity that day he came into her floral shoppe to order flowers for his sister's birthday.

"Myles?"

"Mmm?"

"Did it work?"

"Did what work?"

"You know….the thing…with your friends and the mistletoe you bought last week."

"Oh. Funny you should ask."

Finis

A/N: Yes! Myles was a busy little bee in this story. I'm so glad I finally finished it with the help of Akaallias. Thank you, A! And thank you to all of you readers and reviewers. Enjoyed all your comments. Keep 'em coming!


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